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ELSIE  AND  HER  NAMESAKES 


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BY 

MARTHA  FINLEY 

ELSIE  DINSMORE 
ELSIE'S  HOLIDAYS   AT  ROSE- 
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ELSIE'S  GIRLHOOD 
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ELSIE'S  MOTHERHOOD 
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ELSIE'S  NEW  RELATIONS 
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THE  TWO  ELSIES 
ELSIE'S  KITH  AND  KIN 
ELSIE'S  FRIENDS  AT  WOOD- 
BURN 
CHRISTMAS  WITH   GRANDMA 

ELSIE 

ELSIE  AND   THE   RAYMONDS 
ELSIE  YACHTING   WITH  THE 

RAYMONDS 
ELSIE'S  VACATION 
ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE 
ELSIE  AT  ION 

ELSIE  AT  THE  WORLD'S  FAIR 
ELSIE'S  JOURNEY  ON  INLAND 

WATERS 
ELSIE  AT  HOME 
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ELSIE  IN  THE  SOUTH 
ELSIE'S  YOUNG  FOLKS 
ELSIE'S  WINTER  TRIP 
ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 
ELSIE  AND  HER  NAMESAKES 


ELSIE   AND 
HER   NAMESAKES 


BY 

MARTHA  FINLEY 


NEW  YORK 

DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,  1905 
DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANV 

October,  1306 


PS 


CHAPTER    I 

THINGS  were  going  on  blithely  at  Woodburn, 
everybody  deeply  interested  in  the  prepara 
tions  for  the  approaching  wedding,  as  were 
all  the  relatives  and  connections  on  the  neigh 
boring  estates  and  those  on  more  southern 
plantations.  Woodburn  seemed  a  centre  of 
attraction;  relatives  and  friends  were  con 
stantly  coming  and  going,  many  consulta 
tions  were  held  as  to  suitable  gifts,  especially 
for  Grace  and  Harold.  There  was  great 
interest  shown  by  all  in  the  preparation  of 
the  trousseau,  and  Alma  and  one  or  two 
assistants  were  very  busy  over  it. 

There  were  many  shopping  expeditions,  in 

which  Grace  sometimes  shared,  though  rather 

1 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

against  Harold's  wishes,  so  fearful  was  he 
that  she  might  take  cold  or  suffer  from  over- 
exertion.  He  had  long  been  her  careful 
physician,  but  now  was  not  only  that,  but 
also  her  promised  husband  and  ardent  lover. 
'And  to  please  him  Grace  left  the  greater  part 
of  the  shopping  to  the  other  members  of  the 
family,  and  made  some  of  her  selections  by 
samples  brought  by  them  or  the  mails. 

In  the  meantime,  plans  for  the  wedding  and 
the  honeymoon  were  discussed.  Some  one 
spoke  of  a  trip  to  the  North,  but  Harold 
vetoed  that  promptly.  "It  was  too  late  in 
the  season  now  for  Grace  to  try  that.  He 
must  take  her  to  a  warmer  climate." 

"Then  let  us  all  go  to  Viamede  for  the 
winter,"  suggested  his  mother.  "Would  not 
that  suit  you,  Gracie  dear?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  Grandma  Elsie ;  I  think  there 
is  no  sweeter  spot  upon  earth,"  was  the 
pleased  response. 

"Then  that  is  where  we  will  go,"  Harold 

said  with  a  happy  laugh,  "and  I  hope  our 

2 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

mother  and  other  dear  ones  will  either  accom 
pany  or  follow  us." 

"Oh,  I  like  that  plan,"  exclaimed  Violet, 
"but  I  think  few  of  us  will  be  quite  ready 
to  leave  our  homes  here  by  the  time  the  bridal 
party  starts." 

"Then  suppose  you  go  in  relays,"  suggested 
Chester. 

"Why  not  say  we,  instead  of  you,  Brother 
Chester,"  laughed  Elsie  Raymond.  "I'm 
sure  grandma  included  you  in  her  invi 
tation." 

"Certainly,"  said  Grandma  Elsie,  giving 
Chester  one  of  her  sweet  smiles.  "May  I  not 
count  you  and  Lucilla  among  my  grand 
children  ?" 

"Indeed,  I  am  delighted  to  have  you  do  so, 
and  proud  to  be  able  to  claim  real  blood 
relationship,"  returned  Chester.  "And  but 
for  the  claims  of  business,  I  should  be  glad 
to  accept  your  kind  invitation.  Those,  how 
ever,  will  not  permit  it." 

There  were  exclamations  of  regret  from 
3 


ELSIE   AND   H'EE   NAMESAKES 

several  of  those  present,  Grandma  Elsie 
among  them. 

"But  Sister  Lu  can  go,  can't  she?"  asked 
Elsie  Raymond. 

"Go  and  leave  my  husband!"  exclaimed 
Lucilla  in  mock  indignation.  "Who  could 
suspect  me  of  being  so  unfeeling  a  wife  ?" 

"Oh,  no,  Lu  dear,  I  didn't  mean  that," 
Elsie  hastened  to  say.  "I  know  you  and 
Brother  Chester  are  very  fond  of  each  other, 
but  so  are  you  and  papa ;  and  all  the  rest  of 
us  love  you  dearly;  and  we  won't  any  of  us 
like  to  do  without  you,  even  for  a  few  weeks. 
Oh  Brother  Chester,  can't  you  get  somebody 
else  to  manage  your  business  while  you  go 
along  with  us?" 

"No,  little  sister;  and  seeing  my  wife  does 
not  want  to  leave  me,  I  am  not  willing  to  do 
without  her,  either." 

"And  you  are  quite  right  about  it,  Chester," 

said  the  captain,  sighing  slightly  and  giving 

his  eldest  daughter  a  look  of  warm,  fatherly 

affection ;  "much  as  I  shall  certainly  miss  her 

4 


even  for  the  few  weeks  of  our  separation,  I 
must  concede  that  she  is  right  in  putting  your 
claim  to  her  companionship  first." 

"And  I  know  it's  right  when  you  say  so, 
papa;  so  I'll  try  to  be  content,"  said  Elsie 
cheerfully.  "But  you  and  Baby  Mary  will 
go  with  us,  won't  you,  Eva  ?" 

"And  leave  Lu  alone  all  day  while  Chester 
is  away  at  his  office  ?  Oh,  I  couldn't  think  of 
doing  that!  And,  besides,  I  think  home  is 
the  best  place  for  baby  and  me  for  the  pres 
ent,"  returned  Evelyn,  gazing  lovingly  down 
at  the  cooing  babe  upon  her  knee. 

"Oh,  thank  you,  Eva,"  cried  Lucilla,  clap 
ping  her  hands  in  delight;  "the  thought  of 
having  you  and  baby  left  half  reconciles  me 
to  seeing  the  others  go,  leaving  me  behind; 
only — oh,  father,"  with  a  pathetic  look  at 
him  and  a  quiver  of  pain  in  her  voice,  "what 
shall  I — what  can  I  do  without  you?" 

At  that  he  stepped  to  her  side  and  laid  his 
hand  tenderly  on  her  head. 

"We  will  comfort  ourselves  with  the  thought 
5 


ELSIE   AND    HER    NAMESAKES 

that  the  parting  will  be  for  but  a  brief  season, 
daughter  dear,"  he  said  in  moved  tones; 
"and  with  the  prospect  of  the  joyful  reunion, 
in  store  for  us  all  in  the  spring." 

"And  you  will  help  me  with  frequent  letters, 
papa  dear,  won't  you  ?"  she  asked,  trying  to 
speak  lightly  and  cheerfully. 

"I  think  there  will  be  a  daily  bulletin,  per 
haps  more  than  one — at  least  with  Eva's 
share  counted  in,"  the  captain  replied  with 
an  affectionate  look  at  his  daughter-in-law 
and  her  babe. 

"Oh,  I  hope  so,  father;  and  of  course  Lu 
will  share  with  me  the  pleasure  of  mine," 
responded  Evelyn  with  a  bright,  glad  look  up 
into  his  eyes. 

"And  though  Viamede  is  ever  so  delightful, 
I  think  we  will  all  soon  be  in  haste  to  get 
home  to  see  our  dear  little  baby,"  Elsie  ex 
claimed,  hurrying  to  Eva's  side  to  pet  and 
fondle  the  little  one. 

"Yes;  we  will  all  sadly  miss  both  her  and 
her  mother,"  said  Violet. 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Indeed  we  will,"  added  her  mother, 
"and  I  sincerely  wish  we  could  take  her 
and  all  the  Sunnyside  folk  with  us.  We 
will  hope  to  do  so  the  next  time  we  go  to 
Viamede." 

This  was  an  afternoon  chat  in  the  library, 
where  they  had  gathered  for  the  time,  some 
few  of  the  cousins  with  them,  and  little, 
feeble  Ned  asleep  on  a  couch. 

"Go  to  Viamede?  When  will  we  go?"  he 
asked  feebly,  rousing  just  in  time  to  catch 
his  grandmother's  concluding  words. 

"We  hope  to  do  so  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
wedding  day,  carrying  my  pet  patient  along," 
replied  Harold,  taking  the  small,  white  hand 
in  his  and  patting  it  affectionately. 

"Papa  and  mamma,  too?"  queried  Ned, 
rather  anxiously. 

"We  are  going  in  your  papa's  yacht,  and 
they  are  to  follow  us  in  a  few  days  by  rail, 
join  us  on  the  Florida  coast ;  and  from  there 
we  expect  to  go  on  together  to  Viamede." 

"Oh,  that's  nice — but — oh,  what  can  I  do 

T 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

without  papa  and  mammal  Will  you  and 
Gracie  take  care  of  me  ?" 

"Some  of  the  time,  I  think,  but  your  grand 
ma  still  more;  and  your  sister  Elsie,  and 
some  of  the  cousins  who  will  be  with  us,  will 
help  entertain  you." 

"And  with  all  those  you  can  do  without 
papa  and  mamma  for  a  few  days,  can't  you, 
sonny  boy  ?"  queried  Violet,  leaning  over  him 
and  patting  his  cheek  caressingly. 

"Yes,  mamma;  I  love  my  dear  grandma 
and  uncle  and  Sister  Elsie — the  cousins, 
too — but  I'll  miss  you  and  papa." 

"Then  you  must  try  to  be  patient  and  happy 
thinking  it  will  be  only  a  few  days  before 
we  may  hope  to  be  together  again,"  returned 
his  mother,  repeating  her  caresses. 

"And  show  yourself  a  manly  little  man  of 
whom  we  can  all  be  proud  as  well  as  fond," 
added  his  father,  standing  by  his  side,  smooth 
ing  his  hair  and  looking  down  smilingly  into 
his  face. 

"I'll  try,  papa,"  responded  the  little  fellow, 
8 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"and  I  do  believe  we  will  have  a  nice  time 
if — if  I  can  keep  on  getting  well." 

"We  will  hope  for  that,  and  you  will  have 
your  good  doctor  with  you.  And  you  must 
keep  up  your  spirits  with  the  thought  that 
we  expect  to  be  all  together  again  in  a  few 
days." 

Grandma  Elsie  had  been  taking  part  in 
some  of  the  business  visits  to  the  neighboring 
city,  but  now  she  decided  to  leave  all  that 
to  the  younger  ladies  and  devote  herself  to 
the  entertainment  of  Ned,  Elsie  and  any 
other  of  the  young  people  of  the  family  con 
nection  who  might  care  to  share  with  them 
in  listening  to  the  interesting  facts  and 
stories  which  she  would  relate  for  Ned's  en 
joyment  and  instruction.  She  presently 
announced  this  determination,  which  was 
gladly  received  by  all  the  children  present, 
and  asked  if  any  of  them  could  suggest  a 
subject  for  to-morrow's  discourse.  Elsie 
responded  with  an  eager  look  of  delight  and 
entreaty. 

9 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Well,  dear  child,  what  is  it?"  asked 
her  grandma. 

"Something  about  Washington,  grandma, 
beginning  with  what  he  did  when  he  was  a 
very  young  man.  I'd  like  to  hear  all  you 
can  tell  us  about  Braddock's  defeat." 

"Then  that  shall  be  our  subject  to-morrow, 
if  all  my  audience  should  be  pleased  to  have 
it  so,"  was  the  kindly  reply ;  to  which  several 
young  voices  responded  witK  expressions  of 
pleasure  in  the  prospect. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  next  day  Grandma  Elsie,  true  to  Her 
promise,  remained  with  the  children  at  Wood- 
burn,  while  the  younger  ladies  went  on  their 
shopping  expedition  to  the  city.  Ned  had 
been  carried  down  to  the  library,  and  lay 
there  on  a  sofa,  his  pale  face  bright  with' 
expectation;  for  he  dearly  loved  grandma's 
stories,  especially  now  when  it  seemed  too 
great  an  exertion  to  hold  a  book  and  read 
for  himself;  his  sister  Elsie  was  there,  too, 
and  so  were  several  of  the  young  cousins  from 
Ion  and  Fairview,  who  had  come  riding  in  on 
their  bicycles,  full  of  joyful  expectation,  for 
grandma's  stories  were  to  them  a  great  de 
light. 

They  gathered  about  her,  and  she  began. 

"I  am  going  to  tell  you  of  our  Washington 
and  some  of  his  deeds  and  experiences.  He 
has  been  called  the  Father  of  his  Country. 
11 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Some  one  once  gave  the  toast,  'Washington: 
Providence  left  him  childless  that  his  coun 
try  might  call  him  father.' ' 

"Had  he  never  any  children  at  all,  grand 
ma  ?"  asked  Ned  . 

"None  of  his  very  own;  only  some  step 
children.  He  married  a  widow  who  had  some 
by  a  former  husband. 

"Washington  was  very  young  when  he  left 
school  and  began  life  as  a  surveyor.  At  six 
teen  he  was  public  surveyor  of  Culpeper 
County,  and  he  continued  there  at  that  work 
for  three  years.  Then,  at  nineteen,  he  was 
made  adjutant-general,  with  the  rank  of 
major,  in  one  of  the  four  military  districts 
into  which  Virginia  was  divided. 

"In  1Y53  Great  Britain  instructed  her  gov 
ernors  of  the  American  colonies  to  serve 
notice  on  the  French  that  their  forts  built  on 
western  lands  claimed  by  the  English  were  an 
encroachment  on  her  colonies ;  and  if  the 
French  resisted,  they  were  instructed  to  use 
force  to  drive  them  away. 
12 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

"Washington  was  then  twenty-one — a  tall, 
grave,  handsome  young  man,  and  one  with 
the  talents  and  information  required ;  he  had 
courage,  experience  in  the  woods,  knowledge 
about  forts  and  tact  with  savages.  The  gov 
ernor  offered  the  dangerous  and  difficult  mis 
sion  to  him,  and  he  accepted  it. 

"This  was  in  the  summer.  In  October  the 
governor  resolved  to  enlarge  his  army  to  ten 
companies  of  one  hundred  men  each,  and  no 
officer  in  that  Virginia  regiment  was  to  rank 
higher  than  captain.  Indignant  at  that, 
Washington  resigned  and  left  the  army. 

"The  next  February  Braddock  came  from 
England  with  two  regiments  of  troops,  sup 
plies  and  artillery.  He  landed  in  Virginia, 
and  Washington  sent  him  a  congratulatory 
letter.  Shortly  afterward  Braddock  invited 
him  to  become  his  aide-de-camp,  and  he  will 
ingly  accepted  the  invitation.  He  joined 
Braddock  at  Frederickstown,  feeling  much 
displeased  that  the  army  should  pass  through' 
Maryland  instead  of  Virginia. 
13 


<ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Braddock — proud  Englishman — despised 
all  colonials  except  Franklin  and  Washing 
ton,  but  from  the  beginning  he  was  pleased 
with  them." 

"Colonial,  grandma?"  said  Ned,  inquir 
ingly. 

"Yes,  dear ;  you  must  remember  that  at  that 
time  there  were  no  United  States  of  America ; 
instead,  just  thirteen  colonies  subject  to 
Great  Britain,  and  all  on  or  near  the  Atlantic 
coast.  Our  country  has  grown  very  much 
•ince  then." 

"And  in  more  ways  than  one,  hasn't  it, 
grandma  ?"  remarked  Elsie  Raymond  with  a 
look  of  joy  and  pride. 

"Yes,  dear;  it  is  many  times  as  large,  as 
wealthy  and  full  of  comforts  and  conven 
iences.  Indeed,  I  think  we  may  safely  say 
that  we  are  the  richest  and  most  powerful 
nation  in  the  world.  God  has  been  wonder 
fully  good  to  us,  and  to  Him  be  all  the  glory 
and  the  praise. 

"In  the  days  I  am  telling  you  of  there  were 

14 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

no  railroads,  and  the  rough  mountain  roads 
would  be  very  difficult  to  cross  with  the  heavy 
artillery  and  baggage.  Therefore,  Washing 
ton  urged  a  forward  movement  with  a  small 
but  chosen  band  and  only  such  artillery  and 
light  stores  as  were  absolutely  necessary. 

"Washington  went  with  the  rear  division, 
riding  in  a  covered  wagon,  for  he  had  been 
quite  sick  with  fever  and  pains  in  his  head, 
and  was  not  yet  able  to  sit  a  horse.  He  over 
took  the  advance  division  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Youghiogheny  River,  fifteen  miles  from 
Fort  Duquesne,  and  the  next  morning,  though 
still  very  weak  in  body,  attended  Braddock  on 
horseback.  The  ground  was  very  steep  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Monongahela,  which 
made  it  necessary  to  ford  the  river  twice  and 
march  a  part  of  the  way  on  the  south  side. 
About  noon  they  were  within  ten  miles  of 
Fort  Duquesne.  It  was  here  they  crossed  to 
tHe  north  side,  and  their  road  lay  through  a 
level  plain,  at  the  north  end  of  which  a  grad 
ual  ascent  began,  leading  to  hills  of  sow* 
15 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

height,  and  then  through  an  uneven  country 
covered  with  trees.  Three  hundred  men, 
under  Colonel  Gage,  marched  first,  then  came 
another  party  of  two  hundred,  then  Brad- 
dock  with  the  main  body,  artillery  and 


"All  had  crossed  the  river,  and  the  advance 
body  was  going  cheerfully  up  the  hill,  on  each 
side  of  which  was  a  ravine  eight  or  ten  feet 
deep,  covered  with  trees  and  long  grass.  Gen 
eral  Braddock  had  not  employed  any  scouts. 
He  despised  Indians,  colonists  and  their 
irregular  kind  of  warfare.  A  hundred 
friendly  Indians  had  joined  him  on  the 
march,  but  he  treated  them  so  coldly,  in  spite 
of  all  Washington  could  say  in  their  favor, 
that  they  had  all  gone  away.  They  came 
again  on  the  very  night  before  this  dress 
parade  between  the  ravines,  and  again  offered 
their  assistance ;  but  in  spite  of  all  Washing 
ton  could  say  in  favor  of  employing  them,  the 
general  refused  to  do  so." 

"And  were  the  French  and  their  Indians 
16 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

hiding  in  those  ravines,  grandma?"  asked 
Ned. 

"Yes,"  she  replied;  "that  was  just  what 
they  were  doing,  and  after  the  first  British 
division  had  got  well  into  the  field  between 
the  ravines,  without  seeing  or  hearing  an 
enemy,  they  suddenly  received  a  volley  of 
musket-balls  in  their  faces.  As  one  of  the 
soldiers  afterward  said,  they  could  only  tell 
where  the  enemy  were  by  the  smoke  of  their 
muskets.  But  the  British  at  once  returned  a 
fire  that  killed  the  French  commander,  and 
was  so  heavy  that  the  Indians  thought  it  came 
from  artillery,  and  were  about  to  retreat  when 
Dumas,  who  was  in  command  now  that  his 
superior  officer  was  killed,  rallied  them  and 
sent  them,  under  French  officers,  to  attack 
the  right  flank  while  he  held  the  front. 

"The  British  now  received  another  rain  of 
bullets,  and  the  wood  rang  with  the  savage 
yells  of  the  Indians,  but  they  could  see  only 
smoke,  except  when  now  and  then  an  Indian 
ventured  from  behind  a  tree  to  take  a  scalp. 

17 


ELSIE   AND   BEE   NAMESAKES 

The  Virginians,  used  to  the  Indian's  way  of 
fighting,  dropped  on  the  ground  or  rushed 
behind  trees,  and  the  British  regulars  tried 
to  imitate  them.  Braddock,  just  then  reach 
ing  the  scene,  was  furious  at  that.  Riding 
about  the  field,  he  forced  his  men,  both  Brit 
ish  and  Virginians,  back  into  the  ranks,  just 
where  the  enemy  could  get  full  sight  of  them 
and  shoot  them  down  the  more  readily." 

"Why,  grandma,  what  did  he  do  that  for  ?" 
asked  Ned. 

"It  seems  he  wanted  them  to  keep  rank  just 
because  he  considered  that  the  regular  thing 
to  do." 

"Stupid  old  fellow!"  exclaimed  one  of  the 
other  young  listeners. 

"Yes;  he  does  not  seem  to  have  been  very 
bright  in  that  particular  line,"  assented  Mrs. 
Travilla,  "but  he  was  very  brave ;  four  horses 
were  shot  under  him,  and  he  mounted  a  fifth. 
All  his  aides  were  shot  down  but  one — our 
Washington;  though  hardly  well  enough  to 
sit  in  his  saddle,  he  rode  about  the  field  de- 
18 


ELSIE   AND    HER    NAMESAKES 

livering  Braddock's  orders  to  the  troops,  so 
making  himself  a  conspicuous  target  for  the 
enemy,  who  fired  at  him  again  and  again, 
but  could  not  kill  him — did  not  even  succeed 
in  wounding  him,  though  two  horses  were 
shot  under  him,  and  he  sprang  upon  a  third 
and  went  fearlessly  on  with  his  work." 

"But  he  was  not  wounded.  I  remember 
reading  that,"  said  Elsie.  "Surely,  grand 
ma,  God  took  care  of  him,  that  he  might  after 
a  while  become  the  Father  of  his  Country." 

"Yes,  God  protected  him,  and  that  made  it 
impossible  for  the  foe  to  destroy  him." 

"But  they  killed  Braddock,  didn't  they?" 
asked  Ned. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  Mrs.  Travilla,  "that 
Braddock  was  fatally  wounded  at  that  time, 
but  I  have  seen  an  account  of  his  fatal  wound 
ing,  which  may  or  not  be  true.  It  is  thought 
that  among  the  Americans  who  were  in  the 
fight  were  two  of  the  name  of  Fausett — 
brothers — Thomas  and  Joseph.  Thomas  is 
said  to  have  been  a  man  of  gigantic  frame 
19 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

and  of  uncivilized,  half  savage  propensities. 
It  is  said  that  he  spent  most  of  his  life  in  the 
mountains,  living  as  a  hermit  on  the  game 
that  he  killed.  In  the  battle  we  are  talking 
of  he  saw  his  brother  behind  a  tree,  saw  Brad- 
dock  ride  up  to  him  in  a  passion  and  strike 
him  down  with  his  sword.  Tom  Fausett  drew 
up  his  rifle  instantly  and  shot  Braddock 
through  the  lungs,  partly  in  revenge  for  the 
outrage  upon  his  brother  and  partly,  as  he 
always  declared,  to  get  the  general  out  of  the 
way  that  he  might  sacrifice  no  more  of  the 
lives  of  the  British  and  Americans." 

"Why,  grandma,  did  he  want  his  own  men 
killed?"  asked  Ned. 

"No;  but  he  was  foolish,  obstinate  and  de 
termined  to  have  hip  own  way.  Those  who 
appointed  him  commander  of  that  force  made 
a  great  mistake.  He  was  a  good  tactician, 
but  proud,  prejudiced  and  conceited.  Talk 
ing  with  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  was  then 
postmaster-general,  he  said,  'After  taking 
Port  Duquesne,  I  am  to  proceed  to  Niagara, 
20 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

and  having  taken  that,  to  Frontenac,  if  the 
season  will  allow  time,  and  I  suppose  it  will, 
for  Duquesne  can  hardly  detain  me  above 
three  or  four  days ;  and  then  I  can  see  nothing 
that  can  obstruct  my  march  to  Niagara/ 
[Franklin  thought  the  plan  excellent  if  he  could 
take  his  fine  troops  safely  to  Fort  Duquesne, 
but  told  him  there  might  be  danger  from 
Indian  ambuscades;  the  savages,  shooting 
unexpectedly  from  their  places  of  conceal 
ment  in  the  woods,  might  destroy  his  army  in 
detail.  Braddock  thought  that  an  absurd 
idea,  and  replied  that  the  Indians  might  be 
formidable  enemies  to  raw  American  troops, 
but  it  was  impossible  they  should  make  an 
impression  upon  the  King's  regular  and  dis 
ciplined  troops.  And,  as  I  have  already  told 
you,  that  was  the  idea  he  acted  upon  in  the 
fight,  which  is  always  spoken  of  as  'Brad- 
dock's  defeat.'  He  insisted  that  his  men 
should  be  formed  in  regular  platoons;  they 
fired  by  platoons — at  the  rocks,  into  the 
bushes  and  ravines,  and  so  killed  not  enemies 
21 


only,  but  many  Americans — as  many  as 
by  one  volley." 

"Oh,  how  dreadful!"  cried  Elsie;  "killing 
their  own  comrades  instead  of  the  enemies 
they  were  fighting." 

"Grandma,  did  Tom  Fausett's  shot  kill 
Braddock  at  once  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"No;  it  was  on  the  9th  of  July  he  was 
shot,  and  he  died  on  the  evening  of  the 
13th.  It  was  on  that  day  the  remnant  of 
his  army  went  into  camp  at  the  Great 
Meadows.  In  the  evening,  after  ihe  fight, 
Braddock  exclaimed,  'Who  would  have 
thought  it  ? 

"Then  he  remained  silent  until  a  few  min 
utes  before  he  died,  when  he  said,  'We  should 
better  know  how  to  deal  with  them  another 
time.'  They  buried  him  before  daybreak  in 
the  road  and  levelled  his  grave  with  the 
ground,  lest  the  Indians  should  find  and  muti 
late  his  body.  The  chaplain  had  been 
wounded,  and  Washington  read  the  burial 
service." 


ELSIE   rAND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"At  the  Great  Meadows,  grandma?"  asked 
Elsie. 

"About  a  mile  from  Fort  Necessity,"  replied 
Mrs.  Travilla.  "I  have  read  that  on  the  17th 
the  sick  and  wounded  reached  Fort  Cumber 
land,  and  the  next  day  Washington  wrote  to 
a  friend  that  since  his  arrival  there  he  had 
heard  a  circumstantial  account  of  his  own 
death  and  dying  speech,  and  now  he  was 
taking  the  earliest  opportunity  of  contradict 
ing  the  first,  and  of  giving  the  assurance  that 
he  had  not  yet  composed  the  latter." 

"Well,  I  hope  he  got  the  praise  he  deserved 
from  somebody,"  said  Elsie. 

"Yes,  he  did,"  replied  her  grandma.  "An 
eloquent  and  accomplished  preacher,  Rev, 
Samuel  Davies,  who  a  few  years  later  became 
president  of  Princeton  College,  in  a  sermon 
to  one  of  the  companies  organized  after  Brad- 
dock's  defeat,  after  praising  the  zeal  and 
Courage  of  the  Virginia  troops,  added :  'As  a 
remarkable  instance  of  this,  I  may  point  out 
to  the  public  that  heroic  youth,  Colonel 
23 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Washington,  whom  I  cannot  but  hope  Provi 
dence  has  hitherto  preserved  in  so  signal  a 
manner  for  some  important  service  to  his 
country.' ' 

"And  doesn't  it  seem  that  that  was  what 
God  preserved  him  for,  grandma  ?"  exclaimed 
Elsie,  her  eyes  shining  with  pleasure. 

"It  does,  indeed;  God  was  very  good  to  us 
in  giving  us  such  a  leader  for  such  a  time 
as  that  of  our  hard  struggle  for  the  freedom 
which  has  made  us  the  great  and  powerful 
nation  that  we  now  are." 

"And  we  are  not  the  only  people  that  think 
very  highly  of  Washington,"  remarked  one  of 
the  cousins  in  a  tone  which  was  half  assertive, 
half  inquiring. 

"No,  indeed,"  replied  Mrs.  Travilla;  "one 
English  historian  has  said  that  Washington's 
place  in  the  history  of  mankind  is  without  a 
fellow,  and  Lord  Brougham  said  more  than 
once,  'It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  historian  in 
all  ages  to  let  no  occasion  pass  of  commem 
orating  this  illustrious  man;  and  until  time 
24 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

shall  be  no  more  will  a  test  of  the  progress 
which  our  race  has  made  in  wisdom  and 
virtue  be  derived  from  the  veneration  paid  to 
the  immortal  name  of  Washington.' ' 

"That's  high  praise,  grandma,  isn't  it  ?"  said 
Eric  Leland;  "and  I  think  our  Washington 
deserved  every  word  of  it." 

"As  I  do,"  she  replied;  "he  was  just,  gen 
erous,  disinterested — spending  so  many  of  the 
best  years  of  his  life  in  fighting  for  the  free 
dom  of  his  country,  and  that  without  a  cent 
of  pay — wise,  fearless,  heroic,  self-sacrific 
ing;  he  feared  God,  believed  in  Christ,  waa 
a  man  of  prayer,  fully  acknowledging  divine 
aid  and  direction  in  all  that  he  attempted  and 
all  he  accomplished.  He  was  a  wonderful 
man,  a  God-given  leader  to  us  in  a  time  when 
such  an  one  was  sorely  needed." 

"When  was  the  war  quite  over,  grandma  ?" 
asked  Ned. 

"The  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  in  Paris  on 
the  20th  of  January,  1783,"  replied  Mrs. 
Travilla.    "News  did  not  then  fly  nearly  so 
25 


"ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

fast  as  it  does  now,  and  it  was  not  till  the 
17th  of  the  following  April  that  Washington 
received  the  proclamation  of  peace  by  our 
Congress.  On  the  19th  of  April,  the  anni 
versary  of  the  shedding  of  the  first  blood  of 
the  war,  at  Lexington,  eight  years  before, 
the  cessation  was  proclaimed  at  the  head  of 
every  regiment  of  the  army.  That  was  by 
Washington's  general  orders,  in  which  he 
added,  "The  chaplains  of  the  several  brigades 
will  render  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  all 
His  mercies,  particularly  for  His  overruling 
the  wrath  of  man  to  His  own  glory,  and  caus 
ing  the  rage  of  war  to  cease  among  the 
nations.' " 


CHAPTEK  HI 

NOTICING  now  that  weak  little  Ned  began 
to  look  weary  and  sleepy,  Mrs.  Travilla  bade 
the  other  children  go  out  and  amuse  them 
selves  a  while  wherever  they  liked  about  the 
house  and  grounds;  so  they  quietly  left  the 
room. 

"Please  don't  go  away,  grandma.  Please 
stay  beside  me  while  I  take  my  nap,"  mur 
mured  the  little  fellow,  opening  his  eyes  to 
look  up  at  her,  then  closing  them  again. 

"No,  darling,  I  won't,"  she  said  soothingly. 
"I  have  a  book  and  am  going  to  sit  here  be 
side  you  and  read  while  you  sleep." 

Elsie  and  the  others  refreshed  themselves 
with  some  lively  sport  upon  the  lawn;  then 
the  young  guests,  thinking  it  time  to  return 
to  their  homes,  mounted  their  bicycles  and  de 
parted,  leaving  Elsie  sitting  in  the  veranda, 
whiling  away  the  time  with  a  bit  of  fancy 
27 


work  while  waiting  and  watching  for  the  re 
turn  of  father  and  mother  and  the  other  loved 
ones  from  their  city  shopping. 

Meantime,  she  was  thinking  how  very 
much  she  would  like  to  give  her  dear  sister 
Grace  a  handsome  wedding  present,  and  re 
gretting  that  she  had  not  expected  the  wed 
ding  to  come  so  soon  and  saved  her  pocket 
money  for  that  purpose.  She  had  not  wasted 
it,  but  had  been  more  liberal  in  gifts  to  some 
others  and  spent  more  in  self-indulgences 
than  now  seemed  to  have  been  at  all  necessary. 

But  these  regretful  meditations  were  at 
length  interrupted  by  the  carriage  turning  in 
at  the  great  gates  and  coming  swiftly  up  the 
driveway. 

"Oh,  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come  back  at 
last,  papa,  mamma,  and  all  the  rest  of  you 
dear  folks,"  she  exclaimed,  hastening  to  meet 
them  as  they  alighted  and  came  up  the 
veranda  steps.  "I  suppose  you  have  bought 
ever  so  many  beautiful  things." 

"Yes,  so  we  have,"  replied  her  mother. 
28 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Many  more  than  were  at  all  necessary," 
laughed  Grace.  "If  this  sort  of  kindness 
killed,  I  am  afraid  I  should  not  live  very 
long." 

"But  it  does  not,  and  you  look  very  rosy  and 
well  for  you,"  laughed  Elsie  as  Grace  reached 
her  side,  put  an  arm  about  her  and  gave  her  a 
kiss. 

"Yes,  she  has  stood  the  ordeal  very  well  so 
far,"  remarked  Dr.  Harold,  giving  his 
affianced  a  very  lover-like  glance  and  smile. 

"I  am  ever  so  glad  of  that,"  said  Elsie. 
"And  oh,  I  do  want  to  see  all  those  pretty 
things !  Mayn't  they  be  carried  into  the 
library,  mamma?  Grandma  and  Ned  will 
want  to  see  them,  and  they  are  in  there." 

"Yes,  replied  Violet,  leading  the  way,  "and 
we  will  all  go  in  there  and  examine  them  to 
gether.  I  hear  Ned  talking,  so  there  is  no 
danger  of  waking  him  out  of  a  nap." 

All  followed  her  lead,  a  servant,  bearing  the 

heavier  packages,  bringing  up  the  rear.    All 

enjoyed  examining  the  purchases — vich  silks, 

29 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

laces,  ribbons  and  jewelry — and  some  min 
utes  were  spent  in  lively  chat  over  them  and 
about  other  pretty  things  seen  in  the  city 
stores. 

Then  Grace  was  summoned  to  the  sewing 
room  to  inspect  the  work  going  on  there. 
Violet  went  with  her,  and  Harold  hastened 
away  to  see  a  patient,  the  captain  and  Elsie 
following  him  as  far  as  the  veranda,  he  seat 
ing  himself  and  drawing  her  to  his  knee  to 
pet  and  fondle  her,  as  was  his  wont  when  they 
happened  to  be  alone  together. 

"Well,  darling  little  daughter,"  he  said,  "I 
hope  you  have  had  a  pleasant  time  at  home 
with  grandma  and  ]^ed  and  cousins  while 
papa  and  mamma  were  away  ?" 

"Yes,  sir;  grandma  was  telling  us  about 
Washington  and  Braddock's  defeat,  and  it 
was  very  interesting.  So  the  time  passed 
very  pleasantly.  Papa,  what  beautiful  things 
you  and  mamma  and  the  rest  brought  home 
from  the  city !  I  wish" — she  paused,  blush 
ing  and  hanging  her  head. 
30 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Well,  dear  child,  speak  out  and  tell  papa 
what  you  want,"  he  said  encouragingly. 

"I  was  just  wishing  I  could  buy  a  handsome 
wedding  gift  for  dear  Sister  Grace ;  but  I  did 
not  think  she  was  going  to  be  married  so  soon, 
and — and  my  pocket  money  is  almost  all 
gone." 

"Well,  never  mind,"  he  said  with  a  smile 
and  patting  her  cheek.  "I  have  been  con 
sidering  an  increase  of  pocket  money  for  you 
and  Ned  just  at  this  time.  I  shall  give  eacH 
of  you  $50  to-morrow,  to  do  with  exactly  as 
you  please — buy  for  yourselves  or  for  others 
or  save  up  for  some  future  time." 

"Oh,  papa,  thank  you,  thank  you !"  she  cried 
joyously.  "And  now  can  you  tell  me  what  to 
buy  for  Sister  Grace  ?" 

"We  will  consult  mamma  about  that,"  he 
said,  "and  perhaps  she  will  go  with  us  into  the 
city  to-morrow  to  make  the  purchase." 

"Ah,  Elsie  wanting  to  do  some  shopping, 

too?"  asked  Violet's  pleasant  voice  as  she 

stepped  out  from  the  hall  door  to  the  veranda 

31 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

and  came  quickly  toward  them.  "No" — to 
her  husband — "do  not  get  up;  I  will  take  a 
seat  by  your  side,"  suiting  the  action  to  the 
word. 

"Yes,  mamma,"  answered  the  little  girl; 
"surely  I  ought  to  give  a  wedding  present  to 
Sister  Grace;  and  papa  is  going  to  give  me 
money — $50 — to  buy  it  with." 

"Oh,  that  is  nice,"  said  Violet.  "Levis,  my 
dear,  you  are  certainly  the  best  of  fathers,  as 
well  as  of  husbands." 

"According  to  my  very  partial  wife,"  he  re 
turned  with  a  pleased  little  laugh. 

"And  this  one  of  your  daughters,  too,  papa," 
said  Elsie. 

"As  well  as  all  the  kith  and  kin  who  know 
him  well,"  added  "Violet.  "What  do  you 
think  of  buying  with  that  large  sum  of  money, 
Elsie?" 

"I  want  your  advice  about  that,  mamma." 

"I  believe  Grace  feels  very  rich  now — in 
eilks,  satins,  laces,  jewelry" — Violet  re 
sponded  in  a  musing  tone.  "Ah,  well  of  that 
32 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

last  few  ladies  can  have  too  much.     A  ring, 
a  bracelet,  would  hardly  come  amiss." 

"No,  mamma,  I  do  not  believe  they  would ; 
and  they  would  be  becoming  to  sister's 
beautiful  hands  and  arms.  I  wonder  if  Ned 
would  not  like  to  buy  one  or  the  other  for  her 
with  his  $50." 

"Let  us  go  to  the  library  now  and  con 
sult  him  about  it,"  said  the  captain,  setting 
Elsie  down  and  rising  to  his  feet  as  he 
spoke. 

"The  best  plan,  I  think,"  said  Violet.  "He 
is  sure  to  want  to  spend  your  gift  to  him  in 
something  for  Grace." 

They  found  Ned  still  awake  and  pleased  at 
their  coming. 

"You  may  be  newsteller  and  questioner, 
Elsie,"  said  their  father,  and  she  told  in 
hurried,  joyous  fashion  what  he  had  prom 
ised,  and  what  she  thought  of  buying  for 
Grace  with  her  $50,  concluding  with  the 
query,  "What  will  you  do  with  your  fifty, 
Ned?" 

33 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"I  do  not  know.  I  cannot  go  to  the  stores  to 
find  anything,"  he  sighed  disconsolately. 

"But  you  can  trust  mamma  and  the  rest  of 
us  to  select  something  for  you,"  suggested  his 
father  in  tender  tones. 

"Oh,  I  guess  that  will  do,"  responded  Ned 
more  cheerfully ;  "and  be  sure  that  I  want  it 
to  be  something  handsome,  if  it  costs  every 
cent  of  the  $50." 

So  that  matter  was  settled,  and  the  next 
morning  the  captain,  Violet  and  Elsie  drove 
into  the  city,  visited  the  best  jewelry  store, 
and  selected  a  beautiful  ring  and  bracelet. 
Elsie  was  so  charmed  with  them  that  she 
seemed  hardly  able  to  think  of  anything  else 
on  the  homeward  drive. 

"I  hope  "Ned  will  be  pleased  with  the  brace 
let,"  she  said;  "but  if  he  would  rather  have 
the  ring  for  his  gift  to  Gracie,  he  may,  and  I 
will  give  the  bracelet." 

"That  is  right,  daughter,"  said  the  captain. 
"I  think  they  are  both  beautiful,  and  they; 
cost  very  nearly  the  same." 
34 


They  found  !Ned  awake  and  full  of  eager 
expectation.  He  heard  the  carriage  wheels 
on  the  driveway,  and  cried  out,  "There  they 
are,  grandma,  and  oh,  how  I  wish  I  could  run 
out  to  the  veranda  to  meet  them !" 

"Never  mind  about  that,  sonny  boy;  they 
will  be  in  here  directly,"  was  the  kind  re 
sponse,  and  the  next  minute  Elsie  came  run 
ning  in,  holding  up  two  little  parcels. 

"We  have  bought  them,  !Ned,"  she  cried. 
"They  are  just  lovely,  and  you  may  open  the 
packages  and  take  your  choice  which  to  have 
for  your  gift  to  Sister  Grace,"  and  she  put 
them  in  his  hands  as  she  spoke. 

He  looked  delighted,  hastily  tore  open  the 
larger  package,  and  cried  out,  "Oh,  I  will 
take  this  for  mine.  It  is  the  prettiest  bracelet 
I  ever  saw !" 

"But  the  ring  is  every  bit  as  beautiful,"  said 
Elsie,  "and  I  do  not  care  in  the  least  which 
you  give  and  which  will  be  my  present  to 
Gracie." 

"And  since  you  do  not  care  in  the  least,  it 
35 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

won't  matter  who  gives  which,"  laughed  their 
mother. 

"And  that  makes  it  easy  for  you  both,"  said 
the  captain,  drawing  up  a  chair  to  the  side 
of  the  couch  for  his  wife,  then  seating  him 
self  by  her  side. 

"What  do  you  think  of  them,  mother  ?"  turn 
ing  to  Grandma  Elsie. 

"That  they  are  both  beautiful,"  she  replied. 
"Grace  is  sure  to  be  greatly  pleased  with 
them.  Ah,  here  she  comes!"  as  the  young 
girl  came  tripping  in,  followed  by  Harold. 

"Oh,  Gracie,  here  are  our  wedding  gifts  to 
you — Elsie's  and  mine.  Come  look  at  them," 
cried  Ned,  raising  himself  to  a  sitting  posture 
in  his  excitement. 

"Oh,  they  are  lovely,  lovely !"  she  responded, 
taking  them  from  his  hands,  turning  them 
about  in  hers  and  gazing  upon  them  delight 
edly.  "But,"  she  added  in  a  regretful  tone, 
"I  am  afraid  you  have  both  spent  far  too 
much  on  me." 

"Not  at  all,  daughter;  they  were  bought 

36 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

with  both  your  mamma's  and  my  full  ap 
proval,"  said  the  captain.  "What  do  you 
think  of  them,  Harold?"  as  he,  too,  seemed 
to  be  giving  the  trinkets  a  critical  exam 
ination. 

"I  entirely  agree  in  the  opinion  Grace 
has  just  expressed,"  he  replied.  "They  are 
quite  worthy  of  the  admiration  of  us  all. 
Must  have  cost  a  pretty  penny,  I  should 
say." 

"But  not  too  much  for  gifts  to  our  dear 
sister  Grace,"  said  Elsie. 

"No,  no;  I  quite  agree  with  you  in  that 
opinion,"  replied  Harold,  with  a  smile  and  a 
look  of  ardent  love  and  admiration  at  the 
sweet  face  of  his  betrothed. 

"Put  them  on,  Gracie,  and  let  us  see  how 
they  will  look  on  your  pretty  hand  and  arm," 
pleaded  Ned,  and  she  complied. 

"Ah,  they  fit  nicely,"  she  said  with  a  pleased 
little  laugh ;  then  took  them  off  and  replaced 
them  in  their  boxes,  adding,  "but  are  too 
handsome  and  costly  to  wear  just  now.  They 

37 


EL'SIE  'AND   HER  NAMESAKES 

should  be  shown  first  along  with  the  other 
Christmas  and  wedding  gifts." 

"Such  a  long  time  to  wait,"  sighed  Ned  dis 
consolately. 

"Not  so  very,  Neddie  boy,"  returned  Grand 
ma  Elsie  in  a  cheery  tone;  "this  is  Friday, 
and  Christmas  comes  next  week  on  Wednea- 
day." 

"Oh,  I  am  glad  it  is  so  near!  But,  oK, 
dear,"  he  added  with  a  sigh,  "it  won't  be  so 
delightful  as  it  has  been  other  years,  because 
I  cannot  go  out  of  doors  and  run  and  play 
as  I  have  on  other  Christmas  days." 

"No;  but  do  not  fret,  my  little  son;  you 
shall  have  a  good  time  in  the  house,"  said  his 
father. 

"Oh,  yes,  papa,  and  will  we  have  a  Christ 
mas  tree  ?  I  am  not  too  old  for  that,  am  I  ?" 

"No,  not  at  all ;  and  I  doubt  if  you  ever  will 
be,"  returned  his  father,  smoothing  his  hair 
and  smiling  down  into  his  face. 

"Oh,  Sister  Grace,  will  your  dresses  be  done 
by  that  time  ?"  asked  Elsie. 
38 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Hardly,  I  think,"  smiled  Grace;  "but  it 
will  be  another  week  before  we  sail  away  in 
our  Dolphin;  and  if  they  are  not  all  finished 
then  they  can  be  sent  after  us  to  Viamede." 

"I  suppose,  grandma,  you  will  be  wanting 
us  all  at  Ion  for  Christmas,"  said  Ned. 
"Uncle  Harold,  do  you  think  I  will  be  well 
enough  to  go  ?" 

"No,  my  boy ;  but  we  can  have  a  fine  Christ 
mas  here  in  your  own  home,"  replied  his 
uncle  in  kindly  tones. 

"Oh,  yes,  of  course  we  can.  There  is  no 
place  better  than  home,  anyhow ;  at  least,  not 
if  grandma  and  you,  uncle,  are  here  with  us." 

"Just  what  I  think,"  said  Elsie;  "and  you 
will  be  here,  won't  you,  grandma  and  uncle  ?" 

"Part  of  the  time,"  replied  Mrs.  Travilla; 
"and  I  think  it  likely  that  most  of  your  other 
relatives  will  make  a  call  on  you  some  time 
'during  the  day." 

"And  you  will  stay  witH  us  between  this 
time  and  that,  and  tell  us  your  nice  true 
Btories,  won't  you,  grandma  1"  entreated  Ned. 
39 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

"I  have  planned  to  be  here  a  part  of  almost 
every  day  until  we  go  on  board  the  Dolphin, 
Neddie  dear,"  she  said,  smiling  kindly  on 
him  as  she  spoke. 

"And  you  will,  too,  won't  you,  uncle?" 
queried  the  little  fellow,  with  an  entreating 
look  up  into  Harold's  face. 

"Yes ;  I  intend  to  give  my  little  patient  all 
the  care  he  needs  from  his  uncle  doctor,"  was 
the  pleasant-toned  reply. 

"Thank  you,  sir ;  that  is  good ;  I  am  glad  I 
have  such  a  kind  uncle  that  knows  how  to 
treat  sick  folks,"  returned  Ned,  closing  hia 
eyes,  composing  himself  for  a  nap,  and  add 
ing,  "I  am  tired  and  sleepy  now.  Please 
everybody  excuse  me  if  I  do  not  keep  awake 
to  enjoy  your  company." 

An  hour  later  the  little  boy  awoke,  looking 
and  feeling  stronger  and  better  than  he  had 
at  any  time  since  the  beginning  of  his  illness ; 
and  he  continued  to  gain  as  the  days  passed 
on,  listening  with  pleasure  while  his  grand 
ma  and  others  tried  to  entertain  him  with 
40 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

stories,  and  now  and  then  joining  in  some 
quiet  little  game  that  called  for  no  exertion 
of  strength. 

At  last  it  was  Christmas  eve,  and  he  and 
Elsie  went  early  to  bed  and  to  sleep  after 
hanging  up  their  stockings  for  Santa  Glaus 
to  fill.  They  knew  there  was  to  be  a  Christ 
mas  tree,  but  the  sight  of  it  was  to  be  deferred 
till  the  next  morning,  because  after  his 
night's  rest  Ned  would  be  better  able  to  en 
joy  it. 

Over  at  Sunnyside  Evelyn  sat  beside  the 
crib  of  her  sleeping  babe,  busy  with  her 
needle,  fashioning  a  dainty  robe  for  the 
darling,  when  Lucilla  stole  softly  in,  came 
to  her  side,  and  speaking  in  an  undertone, 
not  to  disturb  the  little  sleeper,  said : 

"Chester  and  I  are  going  over  to  Woodburn 
to  help  in  the  trimming  of  the  Christmas 
tree,  and  should  be  happy  to  have  your  com 
pany.  Will  you  go  along  ?" 

"Thank  you,  Lu;  I  should  like  to  but  for 
leaving  baby,  and  I  won't  disturb  her,  taking 
41 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

her  up  to  carry  her  along,  she  is  sleeping  so 
sweetly." 

"You  are  quite  right;  it  would  be  a  shame 
to  rouse  her  out  of  that  sweet  sleep.  The 
darling;  how  lovely  she  is!"  responded  Lu- 
cilla,  leaning  over  the  crib  and  feasting  her 
eyes  with  a  long,  tender  gaze  into  the  innocent 
little  face.  "But  could  not  you  trust  her  to 
the  care  of  her  nurse  for  a  half  hour  or  so  ?" 

"Thank  you,  but  I  think  I  am  more  needed 
here  than  there  just  now.  There  will  be  a 
good  many  to  join  in  the  fun  of  trimming 
the  tree — good  fun,  too,  it  will  be,  I  know." 

"Yes ;  and  you  have  already  sent  over  your 
and  Max's  lovely  gifts.  Well,  good-by,  sister 
dear.  You  will  be  missed,  but  no  one  will 
blame  you  for  staying  beside  your  darling." 

Eva  was  missed  and  her  absence  regretted, 
but  the  work  of  trimming  the  tree  went 
merrily  on,  the  captain,  Violet,  Harold, 
Grace,  Chester  and  Lucilla  all  taking  part  in 
the  work,  while  visiting  relatives  came  pour 
ing  in,  bringing  both  Christmas  and  wedding 
42 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

gifts.  There  was  a  merry  time,  and  Grace 
seemed  almost  overwhelmed  by  the  multitude 
of  rare  and  beautiful  presents,  some  of  them 
yery  costly,  bestowed  upon  her.  There  were 
laces,  jewelry,  gold  and  silver  tableware, 
several  handsome  pictures  for  her  walls, 
pretty  toilet  sets,  books;  and  from  Harold's 
mother  and  Grace's  father  certificates  of 
valuable  stock,  which  would  add  largely  to  the 
income  of  the  young  couple. 

The  tree  was  a  particularly  large  and  hand 
some  one  when  brought  in,  and  made  a  grand 
appearance,  indeed,  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
work  of  its  trimmers. 

There  were  many  expressions  of  gleeful  ad 
miration,  then  all  were  invited  to  the  dining- 
room  and  feasted  with  cakes  and  ices. 

"Dearest,  I  fear  this  has  been  almost  too 
much  for  you,"  Harold  said  in  a  low  aside  to 
his  betrothed  when  the  last  of  the  guests  had 
bidden  adieu  and  departed.  "I  hope  excite 
ment  is  not  going  to  keep  you  awake." 

"I  will  try  not  to  allow  it  to  do  so,"  she 
43 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

returned  in  the  same  low  key,  and  smiling  up 
into  his  eyes.  "I  hope  to  show  myself  to 
morrow  a  patient  to  be  proud  of." 

"As  you  are  to-night,  love,  and  always,"  re 
turned  Harold  gallantly,  taking  her  hand  and 
carrying  it  to  his  lips. 

"In  the  estimation  of  my  very  partial  lover 
doctor,"  laughed  Grace. 

"Ah,  yes ;  and  in  that  of  many  others.  The 
lover  is  craving  a  tete-a-tete  with  his  best  be 
loved,  but  the  doctor  knows  she  should  at 
once  retire  to  her  couch  of  rest.  Good-night, 
darling.  Only  a  week  now  till  I  can  claim 
you  for  my  very  own." 

"Good-night,  my  best  and  dearest  of 
physicians;  I  will  follow  your  prescription, 
as  has  been  my  wont  in  the  past,"  returned 
Grace,  gently  withdrawing  her  hand  from 
his  grasp,  then  gliding  into  the  hall  and  up 
the  stairway,  while  Harold  passed  out  to  the 
veranda,  where  the  captain  and  Violet,  arm 
in  arm,  were  pacing  to  and  fro,  chatting  cosily 
of  what  they  had  been  doing  and  were  still 
44 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

to  do  to  make  the  morrow  a  specially 
happy  day  to  their  children  and  servants. 
They  paused  in  their  walk  at  sight  of 
Harold. 

"You  are  not  going  to  leave  us  to-night?" 
they  asked. 

"Yes;  I  have  a  patient  to  visit,  and  must 
hasten,  for  it  is  growing  late." 

"Well,  come  in  as  early  as  you  can  to 
morrow,"  said  Violet,  and  the  captain  sec 
onded  the  invitation  warmly. 

"You  may  he  sure  I  will  do  that,"  laughed 
Harold,  "for  both  the  enjoyment  of  your 
society  and  the  good  of  my  patients  here. 
lAu  revoir." 

"Dear  fellow!"  exclaimed  Violet,  looking 
after  him  as  he  moved  with  his  firm,  elastic 
tread  down  the  driveway  and  through  the 
great  gates  into  the  road  beyond ;  "he  is  worth 
his  weight  in  gold,  both  as  brother  and 
physician,  I  think." 

"And  I  am  pretty  much  of  the  same  opin 
ion,"  smiled  the  captain.  "Now  shall  we  go 
45 


'ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

upstairs  and  oversee  the  doings  of  Santa 
Claus  with  those  stockings  ?" 

"Yes;  for  I  presume  the  youthful  owners 
of  the  stockings  are  already  safe  from  dis 
turbance  in  the  Land  of  E"od.  Will  Grace 
hang  her  stocking  up,  do  you  think  ?" 

"Hardly,  I  suppose;  but  we  might  steal  a 
march  upon  the  darling  after  she,  too,  has 
reached  that  Land  of  Nod." 

They  had  passed  up  the  stairway  while  they 
talked,  and  were  now  near  the  door  of  Grace's 
sitting-room,  and  hearing  their  voices,  though 
their  tones  were  rather  subdued  for  fear  of 
waking  the  children,  she  opened  it  and  came 
smilingly  out. 

"Ah,  papa  and  mamma,  I  presume  you  are 
about  to  personate  old  Santa  Claus,  and  I 
should  like  to  help  a  little,"  she  laughed,  hold 
ing  up  to  view  a  string  of  coral  beads  and  a 
pretty  purse  of  her  own  knitting. 

"Ah,"    said   her   father,    "those   will   give 

pleasure,  I  know.    The  children  will  be  well 

satisfied  with  those  articles  of  Santa  Clauses 

46 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

selection.  Ah,  this  reminds  me  of  the  first 
Christmas  in  this  house,  and  the  delight  of 
my  two  daughters — Lu  and  Grace— over  the 
treasures  they  found  in  their  stockings.  Sup 
pose  you  hang  up  yours  to-night  in  memory 
of  that  time." 

"Oh,  father  dear,  I,  having  already  had  so 
many,  many  gifts  far  beyond  my  deserts, 
should  feel  ashamed  to  be  seeking  more," 
Grace  replied  with  a  look  of  ardent,  filial 
love  up  into  his  face. 

"But  do  you  think  you  could  be  wrong  or 
foolish  in  following  your  father's  advice?" 
was  Violet's  smiling  query. 

"Not  if  it  be  given  seriously  and  in  earnest, 
mamma,"  returned  Grace,  giving  her  father 
a  look  of  loving  inquiry. 

"You  may  as  well  take  it  in  earnest, 
daughter  mine,"  he  answered,  drawing  her  to 
his  side,  putting  an  arm  about  her  and  giving 
her  a  fond  caress;  "should  you  find  nothing 
in  it  of  more  worth  than  a  paper  of  sugar 
plums,  you  will  have  lost  nothing  by  the  ex- 
47 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

periment.  But  go  on  now  with  your  prepa 
rations  for  bed,  and  do  not  let  anxiety  con 
cerning  the  filling  of  the  stocking  keep  you 
awake." 

"Thank  you,  my  dearest  and  best  of  fathers. 
I  shall  do  my  best  to  obey  your  kind  order. 
Good-night  to  you  and  mamma,"  she  said,  re 
treating  into  her  room  and  closing  her  door. 
She  did  not  fasten  it,  though,  and  laughingly 
hung  up  her  stocking  before  getting  into 
bed. 

She  was  quite  weary  from  the  unusual  ex 
ertion  of  the  day  and  evening,  and  spite  of 
excitement,  had  presently  fallen  into  pro 
found  slumber;  nor  did  she  wake  till  broad 
daylight.  Then  the  first  thing  her  eye  fell 
upon  was  the  evidently  well-filled  stocking. 
With  a  light  laugh  she  sprang  out  of  bed, 
seized  the  stocking,  crept  back  into  bed  and 
began  an  excited  examination. 

There  were  fruits  and  candies,  then  a  paper 

parcel  labelled  "A  little  Christmas  gift  from 

papa."    Hastily  opening  it,  she  found  a 

48 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

some  new  portemonnaie  well  filled  with  bank 
notes  and  change. 

'•'My  dear  father !"  she  murmured  to  herself 
low  and  feelingly;  "was  there  ever  such  an 
other  !  And  mamma,  too,"  as  she  picked  up 
a  pretty  knitted  purse,  between  the  meshes 
of  which  shone  some  bright  pieces  of  gold 
and  silver.  "But  it  is  Christmas  morning; 
no  doubt  everybody  else  in  the  house  is  up, 
and  so  must  I  be,"  she  added  half  aloud,  and 
suiting  the  action  to  the  word. 

She  was  looking  very  sweet  and  fair  in  a 
pretty  morning  gown  when,  a  few  minutes 
later,  her  father  came  in,  took  her  in  his  arms 
and  wished  her  "A  merry,  happy  Christmas, 
to  be  followed  by  the  happiest  of  New  Years." 

"Thank  you,  dear,  dearest  papa,"  she  said, 
returning  his  caresses.  "I  feel  sure  it  will  be 
a  happy  year,  because  I  am  not  to  be  parted 
from  you — except  for  a  few  days  till  you 
join  us  on  the  coast  of  Florida." 

"Yes,  daughter  dear,  Providence  permit 
ting,  we  shall  follow  you  there  very  shortly 
49 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKE'S 

after  you  reach  its  shores.  Now  we  will  go 
down  to  breakfast,  which  is  ready  and  waiting 
for  us,  and  after  that  and  family  worship 
children  and  servants  are  to  see  the  Christ 
mas  tree  and  receive  their  gifts." 

That  programme  was  carried  out,  the  last 
act  producing  much  mirth  and  jollity,  amid 
which  Harold  joined  them.  He  came  full  of 
good  cheer,  exchanged  Christmas  greetings, 
and  gave  an  amusing  account  of  Christmas 
doings  and  the  effect  of  the  Christmas  tree  at 
Ion. 

He  and  Grace  had  exchanged  some  trifling 
gifts  by  means  of  the  Christmas  tree,  but 
now  he  drew  her  aside  and  added  to  the  orna 
ments  she  wore  a  beautiful  diamond  pin. 

"OK,  thank  you!"  she  said,  with  a  pleased 
little  laugh."  I  have  a  surprise  for  you,  but 
this  lovely  brooch  quite  casts  it  into  the 
sHade." 

&s  she  spoke  she  drew  from  Her  pocket  a  tiny 
box  and  put  it  into  his  hand.    He  opened  it 
and  found  a  diamond  stud. 
50 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Ah,  what  a  beauty !"  he  exclaimed  in  tones 
of  pleased  surprise.  "Thank  you,  my  dar 
ling;  thank  you  a  thousand  times.  It  is 
valuable  in  itself  and  still  more  valuable  as 
the  gift  of  my  best  beloved  of  earthly  dear 
ones." 

"I  am  very  glad  you  like  my  little  gift,"  she 
returned,  smiling  up  into  his  eyes,  "though  it 
compares  but  poorly  with  this  lovely  and 
;costly  one  you  have  given  me.  Oh,  but  it  is 
a  beauty !  I  must  show  it  to  father,  mamma 
and  the  rest." 

"Show  us  what  ?"  asked  Violet,  overhearing 
the  last  few  words,  and  turning  toward  the 
speaker. 

"This,  that  your  good,  generous  brother  has 
just  added  to  my  already  rich  store  of  Christ 
mas  gifts,"  replied  Grace,  joyously  display 
ing  her  new  treasure. 

"Oh,  what  a  beauty!"  cried  Violet.  "I  am 
glad,  Harold,  that  you  show  such  good  taste 
and  generosity  to  the  dear  girl  you  are  steal 
ing  from  us." 

51 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

al  object  to  that  last  clause  of  your  speech," 
returned  her  brother  with  mock  gravity.  "It 
will  be  no  theft,  since  her  father  has  made  it 
a  gift,  in  generous  gratitude  for  my  small 
services  to  your  small  son." 

"Oh,  true  enough,"  laughed  Violet,  "and  our 
saved  son  is  worth  more  than  any  quantity 
of  such  jewelry,"  she  added  in  moved  tones, 
putting  an  arm  around  Ned,  who  had  stolen 
to  her  side  in  an  effort  to  see  what  had  caused 
her  pleased  exclamation. 

"Oh,  what  a  beautiful  pin,  Gracie !"  he  ex 
claimed.  "Did  you  buy  it  for  her,  uncle  ?" 

"Yes,  on  purpose  for  her,"  replied  Harold, 
smiling  down  at  the  little  fellow.  "You  do 
not  think  it  too  fine  for  her,  do  you  ?" 

"No,  no;  oh,  no!  nothing  could  be  too  fine 
for  our  dear,  sweet,  beautiful  Gracie." 

"Just  what  papa  thinks,"  the  captain  said, 
joining  the  little  group.  "Ah,"  glancing 
through  the  window,  "here  come  our  Sunny- 
side  folks  to  spend  the  day  with  us." 

Visits  from  other  relatives  followed  some- 
52 


ELSIE   AND    HER    NAMESAKES 

what  later,  and  some  who  had  not  been  heard 
from  the  day  before  brought  additions  to  the 
store  of  wedding  and  Christmas  gifts.  Ned 
was  not  forgotten  or  neglected,  and  in  spite 
of  having  to  remain  at  home  and  within 
doors,  passed  a  very  happy  day. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THAT  CKristmas  week  was  a  busy  and  cheery 
one  to  our  Woodburn  folk  and  their  near  and 
dear  ones  on  the  neighboring  estates.  The 
Fairview  family  were  expecting  to  spend  the 
rest  of  the  winter  at  Viamede ;  Cousin  Ronald 
and  his  Annis  had  accepted  a  cordial  invita 
tion  to  do  likewise,  and  Grandma  Elsie's 
brother  and  his  family  from  the  Oaks  would 
also  pay  her  a  visit  there,  the  duration  of 
which  was  not  settled,  as  -that  would  depend 
upon  how  well  Horace's  affairs  at  home 
should  be  carried  on  without  his  presence  and 
supervision.  His  little  daughter  Elsie  was 
to  make  one  of  the  party  on  the  yacht,  but 
the  others  would  go  by  rail,  as  that  would  not 
necessitate  so  early  a  start  from  home.  The 
^Dolphin  was  being  put  in  readiness  for  her 
trip,  and  the  overseeing  of  that  business  occu- 
04 


pied  quite  a  portion  of  Captain  Kaymond's 
time  during  that  week. 

Grace  made  a  lovely  bride,  surrounded  by 
all  her  own  and  Harold's  kith  and  kin.  The 
ceremony  took  place  at  noon ;  a  grand  dinner 
followed ;  then  wedding  attire  was  exchanged 
for  a  pretty  and  becoming  travelling  suit, 
carriages  conveyed  bride,  groom,  his  mother 
and  their  young  charges  to  the  Dolphin,  and 
presently  the  southward  journey  was  fairly 
begun. 

It  had  been  rather  Hard  for  Ned  to  part 
from  "papa  and  mamma"  for  even  a  few 
days,  though  with  dear  grandma  and  unole 
left  to  him,  sister  and  cousins  also,  and 
wearied  with  that  grief  and  the  exciting 
scenes  of  the  day,  he  was  soon  ready  to  take 
to  his  berth  and  fall  asleep. 

The  others  found  it  too  cool  for  comfort  oa 
the  deck,  but  very  pleasant  in  the  well- 
warmed  and  lighted  saloon.  They  sat  and 
chatted  there  for  some  little  time^  then  re 
tired  to  their  staterooms  for  the  night. 
66 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

The  morning  found  Ned  refreshed  and 
strengthened,  the  rest  in  fine  health  and 
spirits.  They  made  a  cheerful,  merry  little 
company  about  the  breakfast  table,  afterward 
took  some  exercise  on  the  deck,  then  gathered 
about  Grandma  Elsie  in  the  saloon  and 
pleaded  for  one  of  her  "lovely  stories." 

"Well,  dears,  what  shall  I  tell  of?"  she 
asked  with  her  own  sweet  smile.  "Something 
more  of  our  Washington  or  of  others  of  our 
Presidents  ?" 

"Oh,  tell  us  about  the  time  of  our  Civil  War 
and  the  pictures  Nast  drew  then,"  cried  Elsie 
excitedly.  "I  saw  something  about  him  and 
his  drawings  the  other  day,  and  I  should  like 
to  know  more  of  him  and  his  wonderful  work. 
Was  he  an  American,  grandma  ?" 

"No,  my  dear ;  he  was  born  in  the  military 
barracks  of  Landau,  a  little  fortified  town  of 
Germany,  and  came  to  this  country  at  the  age 
of  six.  He  and  his  sister  were  brought  here 
by  their  mother.  The  husband  and  father 
was  then  on  a  French  man-of-war ;  afterward 
56 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

he  enlisted  on  an  American  vessel,  and  he  did 
not  join  his  family  until  Thomas,  his  son, 
was  ten  years  old,  and  mother  and  children 
had  been  four  years  in  this  country.  A  com 
rade  of  his  told  them  he  was  coming,  and 
the  news  made  a  great  excitement  in  the 
family. 

"The  mother  sent  Thomas  to  buy  a  cake  witLi 
which  to  welcome  his  father.  As  he  was 
coming  home  with  that  he  was  passed  by  a 
closed  cab.  It  suddenly  stopped,  a  man 
sprang  out,  caught  him  up  and  put  him  in  the 
cab,  then  got  in  himself.  For  an  instant 
Thomas  was  frightened,  thinking  he  was  kid 
napped.  Then  he  found  he  was  in  his  father's 
arms,  and  was  full  of  joy;  but  he  was 
troubled  when  he  saw  that  between  them  they 
had  crushed  the  calre.  He  thought  his  mother 
would  be  greatly  disappointed  by  that.  But 
she  was  so  glad  to  see  her  husband  that  she 
did  not  seem  to  mind  it — the  damage  to  the 
cake ;  nor  did  the  children,  being  so  delighted 
to  see  their  father  and  the  many  presents  he 
57 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

had  brought  them  from  distant  places,  and  to 
listen  to  all  he  had  to  tell  about  his  travels. 

"Thomas  was  a  short,  stout,  moon-faced  lad. 
He  attended  a  German  school  for  a  short  time 
after  his  father  came  home,  but  he  was  con 
stantly  drawing  pictures.  His  teacher  would 
say  to  him,  'Go  finish  your  picture,  Nast; 
you  will  never  learn  to  read.'  Often  he 
would  draw  a  file  of  soldiers  or  a  pair  of 
prize  fighters;  sometimes  things  he  remem 
bered  from  his  life  in  Landau — as  a  little  girl 
with  her  pet  lamb  or  old  Santa  Glaus  with 
his  pack. 

"In  1860  he  went  to  England,  where  he  still 
made  drawings.  Every  steamer  brought 
letters  from  him  and  papers  to  the  New  York 
News.  From  England  he  went,  that  same 
year,  to  Italy  to  join  Garibaldi." 

"Who  was  Garibaldi,  grandma,  and  what 
did  ]STast  want  to  join  him  for  ?"  asked  !N"ed. 

"To  help  him  to  get  Italy  free,"  replied 
Mrs.  Travilla.  "But  I  will  not  tell  the  story 
of  Garibaldi  now — some  other  time,  perhaps. 
58 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

The  war  was  not  very  long,  and  Nast  stayed 
until  it  was  over.  In  November  of  that  same 
year  he  said  'Good-by'  to  his  friends  in  Italy. 
Then  he  visited  Rome,  Florence  and  Genoa. 
Late  in  December  he  reached  Landau,  his 
native  city.  The  old  place  had  not  changed, 
except  that  to  him  it  looked  much  smaller 
than  it  had  before.  He  went  on  through 
Germany,  visiting  art  galleries  and  cathe 
drals.  But  he  grew  tired  of  it  all  and  wanted 
to  get  home.  He  crossed  the  channel  to  Eng 
land,  and  there  heard  talk  of  the  brewing  of 
war  in  this  country,  now  his  own  land.  He 
stayed  a  few  days  in  London,  then  sailed  for 
the  United  States,  which  he  reached  on  Feb 
ruary  1st,  1861.  He  had  been  gone  a  year, 
and  now  arrived  in  New  York  with  only  a 
dollar  and  a  half  in  his  pocket." 

"Oh,  how  little  after  such  long,  hard  work  1" 
exclaimed  Elsie  Raymond. 

"Yes,"   said   Mrs.   Travilla;   <rbut  he  was 

brave  and  industrious  and  went  on  working 

as  before.    Mr.  Lincoln  had  been  elected  to 

59 


'ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

the  Presidency  the  November  before,  and  in 
March  Nast  went  on  to  Washington  to  see  his 
inauguration." 

A  portfolio  lav  on  the  table  beside  which 
Mrs.  Travilla  now  sat,  and  she  took  it  up  and 
opened  it,  saying,  "I  have  some  articles  in 
this  which  I  have  been  saving  for  years  past, 
among  them  some  things  about  Nast — some 
of  his  own  writing ;  for  I  have  taken  an  inter 
est  in  him  ever  since  the  time  of  our  Civil 
War.  Listen  to  this,  written  of  that  time 
when  Lincoln  was  about  to  be  inaugurated. 
Nast  had  been  ordered  by  his  paper—the 
News  of  New  York — to  go  on  to  Washington 
to  see  the  inaugural  ceremony.  Stopping  in 
Philadelphia,  he  was  near  Lincoln  during  the 
celebrated  speech  and  flag-raising  at  Inde 
pendence  Hall,  and  afterward  heard  the  ad 
dress  Lincoln  made  from  the  balcony  of  the 
Continental  Hotel. 

"At  Washington  Nast  stopped  at  theWillard 
Hotel,  which  was  Lincoln's  headquarters.  A 
feeling  of  shuddering  horror,  such  as  a  bad 
60 


dream  sometimes  gives  us,  came  over  him 
there.  The  men  who  had  sworn  that  'Abe 
Lincoln'  should  not  take  his  seat  were  not 
gone.  Now  I  will  read  you  what  he  says 
about  that  time." 

The  children  sat  very  still,  listening 
attentively — Elsie  Raymond  with  almost 
breathless  interest — while  her  grandmother 
read. 

"  'It  seemed  to  me  that  the  shadow  of  death 
was  everywhere.  I  had  endless  visions  of 
black  funeral  parades  accompanied  by  mourn 
ful  music.  It  was  as  if  the  whole  city  were 
mined,  and  I  know  now  that  it  was  figura 
tively  true.  A  single  yell  of  defiance  would 
have  inflamed  a  mob.  A  shot  would  have 
started  a  conflict.  In  my  room  at  the  Willard 
Hotel  I  was  trying  to  work.  I  picked  up  my 
pencils  and  laid  them  down  as  many  as  a 
dozen  times.  I  got  up  at  last  and  walked  the 
floor.  Presently  in  the  rooms  next  mine 
other  men  were  walking;  I  could  hear  them 
in  the  silence.  My  head  was  beginning  to 
61 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

throb,  and  I  sat  down  and  pressed  my  hands 
to  my  temples.  Then  all  at  once,  in  the 
Ebbett  House,  across  the  way,  a  window  was 
flung  up  and  a  man  stepped  out  on  the  bal 
cony.  The  footsteps  about  me  ceased.  Every 
body  had  heard  the  man  and  was  waiting 
breathlessly  to  see  what  he  would  do.  Sud 
denly,  in  a  rich,  powerful  voice  he  began  to 
sing  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner."  The  re 
sult  was  extraordinary.  Windows  were 
thrown  up.  Crowds  gathered  on  the  streets. 
A  multitude  of  voices  joined  the  song.  When 
it  was  over  the  street  rang  with  cheers.  The 
men  in  the  rooms  next  mine  joined  me  in  the 
corridor.  The  hotel  came  to  life.  Guests 
wept  and  flung  their  arms  about  one  another. 
Dissension  and  threats  were  silenced.  It 
seemed  to  me,  and  I  believe  to  all  of  us,  that 
Washington  had  been  saved  by  the  inspira 
tion  of  an  unknown  man  with  a  voice  to  sing 
that  grand  old  song  of  songs.' ' 

"Who  was  that  man,  grandma  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"I  can't  tell  you  that,  Neddie,"  she  replied. 
62 


ELSIE   AND    HER    NAMESAKES 

"I  think  it  has  never  been  known  who  he 
was." 

"Is  there  some  more  story  about  Nast  and 
his  pictures  ?"  he  asked. 

"Yee ;  he  made  a  great  many  more  pictures. 
One,  on  the  first  page  of  the  Christmas  Harper , 
was  called  'Santa  Glaus.'  It  showed  him 
dressed  in  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  distributing 
presents  in  the  military  camp.  In  the  same 
paper  was  another  called  'Christmas  Eve.'  It 
had  two  parts :  one,  in  a  large  wreath,  was  a 
picture  of  the  soldier's  family  at  home;  and 
in  another  wreath  was  the  soldier  by  the 
camp-fire,  looking  at  a  picture  of  his  wife  and 
children.  Letters  came  from  all  parts  of  the 
Union  with  thanks  for  that  picture.  A 
colonel  wrote  that  it  reached  him  on  Christ 
mas  Eve ;  that  he  unfolded  it  by  the  light  of 
his  camp-fire  and  wept  over  it.  'It  was  only 
a  picture/  he  said,  'but  I  couldn't  help  it.'  " 

"I  don't  wonder,"  sighed  Elsie  softly,  "for 
how  he  must  have  wanted  to  be  at  home  with 
his  wife  and  children." 
63 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Harold  and  Grace,  who  had  been  taking 
their  morning  exercise  upon  the  deck,  re 
turned  to  the  saloon  and  joined  the  group  of 
listeners  just  in  time  to  hear  their  mother's 
.story  of  last's  Christmas  pictures. 

"Nast  certainly  did  a  great  deal  for 
the  Union  cause,"  said  Harold.  "Do  you 
remember,  mother,  what  Grant  said  of  him 
when  asked,  'Who  is  the  greatest  single 
figure  in  civil  life  developed  by  the  Oivil 
War?'" 

"Yes.  He  answered  without  hesitation, 
'Thomas  Nast.  He  did  as  much  as  any  one 
man  to  bring  the  war  to  an  end.'  And  many 
of  the  Northern  generals  and  statesmen  held 
the  same  opinion." 

"Yes,  mother;  and  all  lovers  of  the  Union 
certainly  owe  him  a  debt  of  gratitude." 

"Now,  children,  shall  I  tell  you  something 
about  Lincoln?"  she  asked.  There  was  an 
eager  assent,  and  she  went  on.  "He  was  a 
noble,  unselfish,  Christian  man ;  came  to  the 
Presidency  in  a  dark  and  stormy  time;  did 
64 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

all  in  his  power  to  avert  civil  war  without 
allowing  the  destruction  of  the  Union,  deny 
ing  the  right  of  any  State  or  number  of 
States  to  go  out  of  the  Union.  But  the  re 
bellious  States  would  not  listen,  declared 
themselves  out  of  the  Union,  began  seizing 
government  property,  firing  upon  those  who 
had  it  in  charge,  and  Lincoln  was  compelled 
to  call  out  troops  for  its  defence. 

"But  I  shall  not  go  over  the  whole  sad  story 
now.  After  four  years,  when  it  was  all  over, 
every  loyal  heart  was  full  of  joy  and  Lin 
coln's  praise  was  on  every  tongue.  They  felt 
that  he  had  saved  his  country  and  theirs,  and 
that  at  the  expense  of  great  suffering  to  him 
self.  But  only  a  few  days  later  he  was  fatally 
shot  by  a  bad  fellow,  an  actor  named  John 
Wilkes  Booth." 

"One  of  the  Confederates,  grandma  ?"  asked 
Ned. 

"I  think  not,"  she  replied.    "It  is  said  that 

his  controlling  motive  for  the  dreadful  deed 

was  insane  conceit.    That  for  weeks  before- 

65 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

hand  he  had  declared  his  purpose  to  do  some 
thing  that  would  make  his  name  ring  round 
the  world." 

"As  it  has,"  remarked  Harold ;  "but  in  such 
a  way  as  I  should  think  no  sane  man  would 
desire  for  his." 

"And  did  they  hang  him  ?"  asked  RTed. 

"No,"  replied  his  uncle;  "the  awful  crime 
was  so  sudden  and  unexpected  that  for  sev 
eral  minutes  the  audience  did  not  comprehend 
what  had  been  done,  and  the  assassin  escaped 
for  the  time.  He  ran  out,  leaped  upon  a 
saddled  horse  kept  waiting  for  him  and  gal 
loped  away  into  the  country.  He  rode  into 
Maryland,  from  there  into  Virginia,  and  took 
refuge  in  a  barn.  He  was  pursued,  cavalry 
surrounded  the  barn,  and  called  upon  him 
and  his  companion  to  surrender.  The  other 
man  did,  but  Booth  refused  and  offered  to 
fight  the  captain  and  all  his  men ;  then  they 
set  the  barn  on  fire,  and  one  of  them,  against 
orders,  shot  Booth  in  the  neck.  That  shot 
made  him  helpless.  He  was  carried  out,  laid 
66 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

on  the  grass,  and  after  four  hours  of  intense 
agony  he  died." 

"That  was  a  sad,  sad  time,"  sighed  Mrs. 
Travilla.  "The  whole  North  was  in  mourn 
ing  for  Lincoln,  and  even  the  South  soon  saw 
that  it  had  lost  its  truest  and  best  friend ;  and 
there  was  a  movement  of  sympathy  for  our 
nation  in  its  great  loss  throughout  the  world." 

"Yes,  mother,"  said  Harold ;  "and  time  only 
increases  the  esteem  of  the  world  for  that 
great  and  good  man." 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  next  day,  after  some  Healthful  exercise 
upon  the  deck,  the  children  returned  to  the 
saloon,  and  gathering  about  Grandma  Elsie, 
begged  for  another  story. 

"Something  historical  ?"  she  asked  with  her 
pleasant  smile. 

"Yes,  grandma,  if  you  please,"  replied 
Elsie.  "I  liked  your  story  of  Marion  so 
much,  and  should  be  glad  to  hear  about  some 
other  Revolutionary  soldier  who  helped  to 
drive  away  the  British." 

"Well,  if  you  would  all  like  that,  I  will  tell 
you  of  Sergeant  Jasper  and  his  brave  doings." 

The  other  children  gave  an  eager  assent, 
and  Mrs.  Travilla  began. 

"History  tells  us  that  "William  Jasper  was 

born  in  South  Carolina  in  1750.    That  would 

make  him  about  twenty-six  years  old  when 

the   Revolutionary   War   began.      He   was 

68 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

patriotic,  and  at  once  enlisted  as  a  sergeant 
in  the  Second  South  Carolina  Regiment. 

"In  June,  1776,  a  British  fleet  appeared  off 
Charleston  bar,  and  several  hundred  land 
troops  took  possession  of  Long  Island,  sepa 
rated  from  Sullivan's — on  which  was  our 
Fort  Sullivan — only  by  a  narrow  creek.  At 
half-past  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
28th  of  June  the  British  ships  anchored  in 
front  of  our  Fort  Sullivan,  which  instantly 
poured  a  heavy  fire  upon  them. 

"But  I  shall  not  go  into  a  detailed  account 
of  the  battle,  which,  Lossing  tells  us,  was  one 
of  the  severest  during  the  whole  war,  re 
dounded  to  the  military  glory  of  the  Ameri 
cans,  greatly  increased  the  patriotic  strength 
at  the  South,  and  was  regarded  by  the  BritisK 
as  very  disastrous ;  for  the  loss  of  life  on  their 
ships  was  frightful. 

"But  I  must  tell  you  of  a  daring  feat  per 
formed  by  Sergeant  Jasper.  At  the  begin 
ning  of  the  action,  the  flag-staff  of  our  fort 
yr&a  cut  away  by  a  ball  from  a  British  ship, 
69 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

and  the  Crescent  flag  of  South  Carolina,  that 
waved  opposite  the  Union  flag  upon  the  west 
ern  bastion,  fell  outside  upon  the  beach. 
Jasper  leaped  the  parapet,  walked  the  length 
of  the  fort,  picked  up  the  flag,  fastened  it 
upon  a  sponge  staff,  and  in  the  sight  of  the 
whole  British  fleet,  whose  iron  hail  was  pour 
ing  upon  the  fortress,  he  fixed  the  flag  firmly 
upon  the  bastion.  Then  he  climbed  up  to  the 
parapet  and  leaped,  unhurt,  within  the  fort, 
three  cheers  greeting  him  as  he  did  so." 

"Oh,  how  brave  he  was!"  cried  Ned.  "I 
hope  they  gave  him  a  reward  for  it." 

"Yes,"  said  his  grandma,  "the  governor,  on 
the  day  after  the  battle,  visited  the  fort,  and 
rewarded  Jasper  with  the  gift  of  his  own 
small  sword,  a  handsome  one  which  hung  by 
his  side,  and  thanked  him  in  the  name  of  his 
country.  He  also  offered  him  a  lieutenant's 
commission;  but  the  young  hero  declined  it, 
saying,  'I  am  not  fit  to  keep  officers'  company ; 
I  am  but  a  sergeant.' 

"He  seems  to  have  had  no  educational  ad* 
70 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

vantages,  as  he  could  neither  read  nor 
write." 

"Oh,  what  a  pity !"  exclaimed  several  young 
voices. 

"Yes,  it  was,"  sighed  Mrs.  Travilla.  "I 
hope  you  are  thankful,  my  dears,  for  your 
superior  advantages. 

"I  have  read  that  Jasper  was  given  a  roving 
commission,  and  choosing  six  men  from  the 
regiment  to  go  with  him,  he  went  here  and 
there,  and  often  returned  with  prisoners  be 
fore  his  general  knew  of  his  absence. 

"Jasper  had  a  brother  who  had  joined  the 
British,  but  he  loved  him  so  dearly  that  Be 
ventured  into  the  British  garrison  to  see  him. 
The  brother  was  greatly  alarmed  at  sight  of 
him,  lest  he  should  be  seized  and  hung  as  an 
American  spy,  his  name  being  well  known  to 
many  of  the  British  officers.  But  Jasper  said, 
'Don't  trouble  yourself;  I  am  no  longer  an 
American  soldier.' 

"  'Thank  God  for  that,  William!'  exclaimed 

the  brother,  giving  him  a  hearty  shake  of  the 

71 


'ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

^hand;  'and  now  only  say  the  word,  my  boy, 
and  hsre  is  a  commission  for  you,  with  regi 
mentals  and  gold  to  boot,  to  fight  for  his 
Majesty,  King  George/ 

"But  Jasper  shook  his  head,  saying  that 
though  there  seemed  but  little  encourage 
ment  to  fight  for  his  country,  he  could  not 
fight  against  her.  He  stayed  two  or  three 
days  with  his  brother,  hearing  and  seeing  all 
that  he  could,  then  bade  good-by  and  returned 
to  the  American  camp  by  a  circuitous  route, 
and  told  General  Lincoln  all  that  he  had 
seen." 

"Grandma,"  said  Ned  thoughtfully,  "it 
seems  to  me  he  did  not  tell  the  truth  when 
he  said  he  was  not  an  American  soldier.  Was 
it  right  for  him  to  say  that  ?" 

"I  think  not,  Ned ;  but  I  suppose  he  thought 
it  was,  as  he  meant  by  it  to  help  his  country's 
cause.  But  remember,  my  dears,  it  is  never 
right  to  do  evil  even  that  good  may  come. 

"But  to  go  on  with  my  story.  Jasper  soon 
went  again  to  the  English  garrison,  this  time 
72 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

taking  with  him  his  particular  friend,  Ser 
geant  Newton,  a  young  man  of  great  strength 
and  courage.  Jasper's  brother  received  them 
very  cordially,  and  they  remained  several 
days  at  the  British  fort  without  causing  tEe 
least  alarm. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  the 
brother  said  to  them,  'I  have  bad  news  to  tell 
you.'  'Aye,  what  is  it  ?'  asked  William.  His 
brother  replied  that  ten  or  a  dozen  prisoners 
had  been  brought  in  that  morning,  as  desert 
ers  from  Savannah ;  that  they  were  to  be  sent 
there  immediately,  and  from  all  he  could 
learn,  it  would  be  likely  to  go  hard  with  them, 
as  it  seemed  they  had  all  taken  the  King's 
bounty." 

"What  does  that  mean,  grandma  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"That  they  had  agreed  to  remain  British 
subjects  instead  of  fighting  for  their  country ; 
and  for  that  the  British  were  to  protect  them 
against  the  Americans.  But  it  seems  they 
had  changed  their  minds  and  gone  over  to  the 
cause  of  their  country. 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Jasper  asked  to  see  the  poor  fellows,  and 
his  brother  took  him  and  Newton  to  the  spot 
where  the  poor  fellows  were,  handcuffed,  and 
sitting  or  lying  upon  the  ground.  With  them 
was  a  young  woman,  wife  of  one  of  the 
prisoners,  sitting  on  the  ground  opposite  to 
her  husband,  with  her  little  boy  leaning  on 
her  lap.  Her  dress  showed  that  she  was  poor, 
and  her  coal-black  hair  spread  in  long,  neg 
lected  tresses  on  her  neck  and  bosom.  Some 
times  she  would  sit  silent,  like  a  statue  of 
grief,  her  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ground;  then 
she  would  start  convulsively,  lift  her  eyes 
and  gaze  on  her  husband's  face  with  as  sad  a 
look  as  if  she  already  saw  him  struggling  in 
the  halter,  herself  a  widow  and  her  child  an 
orphan.  The  child  was  evidently  distressed 
by  his  mother's  anguish,  and  weeping  with 
her. 

"Jasper  and  Newton  felt  keenly  for  them 

in  their  misery.    They  silently  walked  away 

into  a  neighboring  wood,  tears  in  the  eyes  of 

both.    Jasper  presently  spoke.    'Newton/  he 

74 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

said,  'my  days  have  been  but  few,  but  I  be 
lieve  their  course  is  nearly  finished.'  Newton 
asked  why  he  thought  so,  and  he  answered, 
because  he  felt  that  he  must  rescue  those  poor 
prisoners  or  die  with  them,  otherwise  the 
remembrance  of  that  poor  woman  and  her 
child  would  haunt  him  to  his  grave. 

"  'That  is  exactly  what  I  feel,  too,'  replied 
Newton,  'and  here  is  my  hand  and  heart  to 
stand  by  you,  my  brave  friend,  to  the  last 
drop.  Thank  God,  a  man  can  die  but  once, 
and  why  should  we  fear  to  leave  this  life  in 
the  way  of  our  duty  ?' 

"Then  the  two  embraced  each  other  and  at 
once  set  about  making  the  necessary  arrange 
ments  for  carrying  out  their  desperate  reso 
lution." 

"Oh,  how  brave  and  kind  they  were!"  ex 
claimed  Elsie  Raymond.  "I  am  proud  of 
them  as  my  countrymen." 

"As  we  all  may  be,"  said  her  grandma,  then 
went  on  with  her  story. 

"Shortly  after  breakfast  the  next  morning 
75 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

the  prisoners  were  sent  on  their  way  to 
Savannah,  guarded  by  a  sergeant  and  corpo 
ral  with  eight  men." 

"Why,  that  was  ten  men  for  our  two  men 
to  fight !"  exclaimed  Elsie  Dinsmore. 

"But  I  hope  our  brave  fellows  didn't  give  it 
up,"  said  Elsie  Raymond. 

"No,"  replied  her  grandma;  "Jasper  pres 
ently  took  leave  of  his  brother,  and  he  and 
Newton  started  on  some  pretended  errand  to 
the  upper  country,  but  as  soon  as  fairly  out 
of  sight  of  the  town  they  struck  into  the 
woods  and  hurried  after  the  prisoners  and 
their  guard,  keeping  out  of  sight  in  the  bushes 
and  anxiously  watching  for  an  opportunity 
to  strike  a  blow. 

"I  think  that  to  most  men  it  would  have 
seemed  great  folly  for  two  unarmed  men  to 
attempt  to  strike  a  blow  at  ten  men  carrying 
loaded  muskets  and  bayonets.  But  they  were 
very  brave  and  not  willing  to  give  up  their 
countrymen  to  the  dreadful  fate  the  cruel 
British  had  appointed  for  them. 
T6 


'ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Jasper  said  to  Newton,  Terhaps  the  guard 
may  stop  at  the  Spa  to  quench  their  thirst, 
and  we  may  be  able  to  attack  them  there/ 

"The  Spa!  What  was  that,  grandma?" 
asked  Ned. 

"A  famous  spring  about  two  miles  from 
Savannah,  where  travellers  often  stopped  for 
a  drink  of  its  good  water,"  she  replied,  then 
went  on  with  her  story. 

"Jasper  and  Newton  hurried  on  and  con 
cealed  themselves  among  the  bushes  that  grew 
thickly  around  the  spring.  Soon  the  soldiers 
and  their  prisoners  came  in  sight  of  it,  and 
the  sergeant  ordered  a  halt.  That  gave  our 
heroes  a  little  hope,  though  the  odds  were 
fearfully  against  them.  The  corporal,  with 
his  guard  of  four  men,  led  the  prisoners  to  the 
spring,  while  the  sergeant,  with  the  other 
four,  grounded  their  arms  near  the  road,  then 
brought  up  the  rear.  The  prisoners,  wearied 
with  their  long  walk,  were  permitted  to  rest 
themselves  on  the  earth.  Mrs.  Jones  took  her 
seat  opposite  her  husband,  as  usual,  and  her 
77 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

tired  little  boy  fell  asleep  on  her  lap.  Two  of 
the  corporal's  men  were  ordered  to  keep  guard 
and  the  other  two  to  give  the  prisoners  a 
drink  out  of  their  canteens.  They  obeyed, 
drew  near  the  spring,  rested  their  muskets 
against  a  pine-tree,  then  dipped  up  the  water, 
drank,  filled  their  canteens  again  and  turned 
to  give  the  prisoners  a  drink. 

"  'Now,  Newton,  is  our  time,'  whispered 
Jasper.  With  that  they  sprang  from  their 
concealment,  snatched  up  the  two  muskets 
resting  against  the  tree,  and  in  an  instant 
shot  down  the  two  soldiers  who  were  upon 
guard.  The  other  two  Englishmen  sprang 
forward  and  seized  their  muskets ;  but  before 
they  could  use  them  Jasper  and  Newton 
with  clubbed  guns  levelled  a  blow  at  their 
heads,  broke  their  skulls,  and  down  they  sank, 
pale  and  quivering,  without  a  groan.  Then 
snatching  up  the  muskets,  our  heroes  flew  be 
tween  the  other  British  soldiers  and  their 
arms,  grounded  near  the  road,  and  ordered 
them  to  surrender,  which  they  immediately 

78 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

did.  Then  they — our  men — snapped  the 
handcuffs  off  the  prisoners  and  armed  them 
with  muskets." 

"Oh,  how  good!"  exclaimed  Ned  and  the 
little  girls  who  were  listening  to  Grandma 
Elsie's  story. 

"But  what  did  Mrs.  Jones  do  while  that 
fight  was  going  on?"  asked  Elsie  Dins- 
more. 

"At  the  beginning  of  it  she  fainted,"  replied 
Mrs.  Travilla,  "and  her  little  son  stood 
screaming  piteously  over  her.  But  when  she 
recovered  her  senses  and  saw  her  husband  and 
his  friends  freed  from  their  fetters,  she 
seemed  frantic  with  joy.  She  sprang  to  her 
husband,  and,  with  her  arms  about  his  neck, 
sobbed  out,  'My  husband  is  safe,  bless  God, 
my  husband  is  safe !'  Then  snatching  up  her 
child,  she  pressed  him  to  her  heart,  exclaim 
ing,  'Thank  God,  my  son  has  a  father  yet/ 
Then  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  Jasper  and  New 
ton,  she  pressed  their  hands  vehemently,  but 
so  full  was  her  heart  that  all  she  could  say 
79 


EL'SIE   'AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

was,  'God  bless  you.  God  Almighty  bless 
you.' " 

"Oh,  how  nice!"  exclaimed  Ned,  clapping 
his  hands  in  delight. 

"Then  what  did  they  all  do,  grandma?" 
asked  Elsie  Raymond.  "Not  go  to  Savannah, 
I  suppose,  as  the  British  were  there  ?" 

"No;  they  recrossed  the  Savannah  River, 
taking  the  arms  and  regimentals  of  the  dead, 
their  prisoners,  too,  and  safely  joined  the 
American  army  at  Parisburg,  where  they 
were  received  with  great  astonishment  and 

joy." 

"No  wonder  there  was  astonishment,"  said 
Elsie,  "that  two  men  could  beat  ten." 

"That  was  because  the  two  were  Americans 
and  the  others  only  Englishmen,"  chuckled 
Ned.  "Is  there  any  more  story  about  Jasper, 
grandma  ?" 

"Not  much,"  she  replied.  "He  was  killed 
at  the  siege  of  Savannah  in  17Y9.  Several 
gallant  defenders  of  the  French  and  Ameri 
can  colors  had  been  shot  down;  Sergeant 
80 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Jasper  sprang  forward,  seized  the  standards 
and  kept  them  erect ;  then  he,  too,  was  pros 
trated  by  a  bullet  and  fell  into  the  ditch.  He 
was  carried  to  the  camp,  and  soon  died. 
Jasper's  name  is  honored  in  Savannah;  they 
have  made  that  evident  by  bestowing  it  upon 
one  of  the  city's  squares." 


81 


CHAPTER  VI 

IT  was  Sabbath  morning,  and  our  little  party 
on  the  yacht  were  gathered  about  the  break 
fast  table,  Dr.  Harold  having  just  come  down 
from  the  deck,  where  he  had  spent  the  last 
few  minutes. 

"What  of  the  weather,  Harold  ?"  asked  his 
mother. 

"It  is  cool  and  cloudy,"  he  said  in  reply; 
"rather  too  cool  and  damp  for  ladies  and 
children  to  pass  much  time  on  deck,  I  think, 
mother.  I  may  gather  the  men  there  and 
read  them  a  sermon,  but  the  rest  of  you,  I 
hope,  will  be  content  to  pass  at  least  most  of 
the  day  in  these  lower,  warmer  quarters." 

"I  think  we  can  very  contentedly,  if  mother 
will  lead  us  in  some  Bible  lessons,"  said 
Grace,  with  a  loving,  smiling  look  at  her 
whom,  until  of  late,  she  had  been  wont  to  call 
Grandma  Elsie. 

82 


"Very  willingly,  daughter  mine,"  was  the 
sweet-toned,  smiling  assent,  received  by  all 
the  children  with  looks  and  words  of  pleased 
anticipation. 

On  leaving  the  table  they  had  family  wor 
ship  in  the  saloon,  Dr.  Harold  leading  the 
service  as  usual.  Then  he  went  upon  the 
deck  and  the  others  gathered  about  Grandma 
Elsie. 

Then  Elsie  Raymond,  sitting  there  Bible  in 
hand,  exclaimed  eagerly,  "Oh,  grandma,  I  am 
glad  of  this  opportunity  to  ask  you  about 
what  I  have  been  reading  here — this  miracle 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  feeding  so  many,  many 
folks — five  thousand  men,  besides  women  and 
children — on  only  five  loaves  and  two  fishes. 
It  couldn't  have  been  nearly  enough,  except 
by  Jesus  blessing  it  and  making  it  more, 
could  it,  grandma  ?" 

"No,  indeed,  Elsie.    Five  large  loaves,  such 

as  you  are  accustomed  to  seeing,  would  hardly 

be  enough  to  feed  fifty  such  hungry  men ;  and 

those  five  loaves  were  much  smaller  than 

83 


"EL'SIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

ours — probably  little,  if  any,  larger  than  our 
soda  crackers;  hardly  enough  to  satisfy  tHe 
appetite  of  one  hungry  boy." 

"There  were  two  fishes  besides,  you  know, 
grandma ;  but  if  they  were  small  ones,  a  boy 
could  eat  them,  too." 

"Yes ;  so  no  wonder  the  disciples  thought  it 
utterly  impossible  to  feed  that  great  crowd 
of  hungry  people,  and  begged  Jesus  to  send 
them  away  to  go  into  the  villages  and  buy 
themselves  victuals." 

"Do  you  suppose  they  had  any  money  to 
buy  with,  grandma  ?"  asked  the  little  girl. 

"I  think  it  probable  that  most  of  them  were 
poor  people  with  little  or  no  money  about 
them,"  replied  Grandma  Elsie.  "And  even 
if  they  had  money,  they  were  too  many  to 
find  sufficient  food  in  the  little  nearby  towns. 
Jesus  knew  all  that ;  He  could  see  how  weary 
and  hungry  many,  if  not  all  of  them,  were, 
particularly  the  women  and  little  children. 
Jesus  pitied  and  was  ready  to  help  them  as 
no  one  else  could,  and  no  doubt  he  was  glad 
84 


ELSIE   AND   REE   NAMESAKES 

He  had  the  power.  He  bade  His  disciples  not 
to  tell  them  to  depart,  but  'Give  ye  them  to 
eat/  He  said ;  and  they  replied,  'We  have  here 
but  five  loaves  and  two  fishes;'  and  Jesus 
said,  'Bring  them  hither  to  me.'  And  He 
said,  'Make  the  men  sit  down.'  John  tells  us 
there  was  much  grass  in  the  place,  and  that 
the  men  sat  down,  in  number  about  five  thou 
sand.  Then  He  (Jesus)  took  the  five  loaves 
and  the  two  fishes,  and  looking  up  to  heaven, 
He  blessed  and  brake  the  loaves,  and  gave 
them  to  His  disciples,  and  they  distributed 
them  among  that  great  multitude.  All  ate 
till  they  were  satisfied;  then  Jesus  said, 
'Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain,  that 
nothing  be  lost.'  John  tells  us,  'Therefore, 
they  gathered  them  together,  and  filled  twelve 
baskets  with  the  fragments  of  the  five  barley 
loaves,  which  remained  over  and  above  unto 
them  that  had  eaten.'  " 

"It  was  very,  very  wonderful,  grandma, 
wasn't  it  ?"  exclaimed  the  little  girl  thought 
fully. 

M 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Yes,  indeed !  a  miracle  that  none  but  God 
could  work.  It  proved  that  Jesus  was  divine. 
You  have  been  reading  Matthew's  account 
of  this  miracle ;  now  turn  to  the  sixth  chapter 
of  Mark,  and  you  will  find  the  same  story 
told  by  him.  Then  in  the  eighth  we  will  find 
that  he  tells  of  another  time  when  Jesus  had 
worked  a  similar  miracle — when  He  fed  four 
thousand  on  seven  loaves  and  a  few  small 
fishes ;  and  they  took  up  of  the  broken  meat 
that  was  left  seven  baskets." 

"Yes,"  grandma,"  said  the  little  girl,  turning 
over  the  leaves  of  her  Bible,  "and  it  says  after 
that  first  time  that  He  departed  into  a  moun 
tain  to  pray.  But  after  the  second,  'and 
straightway  He  entered  into  a  ship  with  His 
disciples,  and  came  into  the  parts  of  Dal- 
manutha.'  Where  was  that,  grandma  ?" 

"It  was  a  town  on  the  west  coast  of  the 
sea  of  Galilee.  Read  on  now  to  the  four 
teenth  verse." 

Elsie  read,  "And  the  Pharisees  came  forth 

and  began  to  question  with  Him,  seeking  oi? 

86 


Him  a  sign  from  heaven,  tempting  Him. 
And  He  sighed  deeply  in  His  spirit,  and  said, 
Why  doth  this  generation  seek  after  a  sign  ? 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  shall  no  sign  be 
given  unto  this  generation.  And  He  left  them, 
and  entering  into  the  ship,  again  departed 
to  the  other  side." 

"Weren't  the  had  men  wanting  to  do  Jesus 
harm  ?"  asked  Xed. 

"Yes,  they  were,  indeed,"  replied  his  grand 
ma  ;  "they  hated  Him  because  He  told  them  of 
their  sins.  'Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Phari 
sees,  hypocrites:  for  ye  are  as  graves  which 
appear  not,  and  the  men  that  walk  over  them 
are  not  aware  of  them.'  Then  to  the  people : 
'Beware  ye  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees, 
which  is  hypocrisy.'  Again  He  said  of  them: 
'In  vain  do  they  worship  me,  teaching  for 
doctrines  the  commandments  of  men.  .  .  . 
Woe  unto  you,  lawyers,  for  ye  have  taken 
away  the  key  of  knowledge ;  ye  entered  not  in 
yourselves,  and  them  that  were  entering  ye 
hindered.'  And  as  He  said  these  things  unto 
87 


VLS1E   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

them,  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  began  to  urge 
Him  vehemently,  and  to  provoke  Him  to 
speak  of  many  things ;  laying  wait  for  Him, 
and  seeking  to  catch  something  out  of  His 
mouth,  that  they  might  accuse  Him.  They 
were  angry  and  wanted  to  kill  Jesus,  because 
He  exposed  their  wickedness.  In  another 
chapter  we  are  told,  'And  He  went  into  the 
temple,  and  began  to  cast  out  them  that  sold 
therein,  and  them  that  bought;  saying  unto 
them,  It  is  written,  My  house  is  the  house 
of  prayer;  but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of 
thieves.'  And  He  taught  daily  in  the  temple. 
But  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  and  the 
chief  of  the  people  sought  to  destroy  Him, 
and  could  not  find  what  they  might  do;  for 
all  the  people  were  very  attentive  to  hear 
Him." 

"So  they  went  out  at  night,  when  the  crowds 
of  people  who  loved  Him  were  in  their  homes 
and  asleep,  I  suppose,  the  wicked,  money-loving 
Judas  showing  them  where  He  was,  and  led 
Him  away  to  the  high  priest,  and  all  the  chief 
88 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

priests  and  the  elders  and  the  scribes,"  sighed 
Elsie  Raymond. 

"Yes,"  said  her  grandma;  "and  they  went 
through  a  mock  trial,  but  could  not  get  their 
witnesses  to  agree.  And  the  high  priest  stood 
up  in  the  midst  and  asked  Jesus,  saying, 
'Answerest  thou  nothing  ?  What  is  it  which 
these  witness  against  thee  ?  But  Jesus  made 
no  answer.  And  the  high  priest  asked  him, 
'Art  thou  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Blessed  ?' 
Jesus  said,  'I  am;  and  ye  shall  see  the  son 
of  man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power, 
and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven.'  Then 
the  high  priest  rent  his  clothes  and  said, 
'What  need  we  any  further  witnesses?  Ye 
have  heard  the  blasphemy;  what  think  ye?' 
And  they  all  condemned  Him  to  be  guilty  of 
death.  And  some  began  to  spit  on  Him,  and 
to  cover  His  face,  and  to  buffet  Him,  and  to 
say  unto  Him,  Prophesy:  and  the  servants 
did  strike  Him  with  the  palms  of  their 
hands." 

"And  He  could  have  struck  them  all  dead 
89 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

without  a  word,  couldn't  He,  grandma?" 
asked  Ned. 

"Indeed  He  could/'  she  replied ;  "but  in  His 
great  love  for  you  and  for  me  and  all  His 
people,  He  chose  to  bear  it  all — all  that  and 
all  the  awful  agony  of  the  death  upon  the 
cross,  that  we  might  be  saved.  The  Bible 
tells  us,  'Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved.'  The  dear  Saviour, 
who  died  that  awful  death  for  us,  invites  us 
all  to  come  to  Him  and  be  saved.  For  God 
so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  be 
gotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life. 
Those  are  His  own  words,  spoken  to  Nico- 
deinus." 

"Grandma,  couldn't  Jesus  have  hindered 
those  wicked  men  from  treating  Him  so? 
Couldn't  He  have  made  them  all  die  that  min 
ute  if  He  had  chosen  to  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"Yes,  he  could ;  but  as  I  have  just  told  you, 

He  bore  it  all,  and  the  awful  death  on  the 

cross,  that  we  might  be  saved — we  and  all 

90 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

who  would  give  themselves  to  Him.  The 
Bible  says  Christ  died  for  our  sins  ac 
cording  to  the  Scriptures.  He  took  upon 
Himself  our  human  nature  that  He  might 
bear  our  punishment  and  save  us  from  eternal 
death." 

"And  all  His  earthly  life  long  He  was  look 
ing  forward  to  that  awful,  agonizing  death," 
sighed  Grace  in  tones  tremulous  with  emo 
tion.  "Oh,  how  can  we  help  loving  Him  with 
all  our  hearts  ?" 

"And  striving  to  be  like  Him,"  added 
Grandma  Elsie — "so  unselfish,  so  forbearing 
and  forgiving.  Think  of  His  loving,  cheer 
ing,  sympathizing  talk  with  His  disciples  in 
that  very  night  in  which  He  was  betrayed  and 
His  awful  suffering  began.  Remember,  He 
knew  all  the  agony  He  was  to  go  through  that 
very  night — in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane, 
where  He  prayed  in  so  great  an  agony  that 
His  sweat  became  as  it  were  great  drops  of 
blood  falling  down  upon  the  ground.  After 
that  the  betrayal,  arrest,  trial  before  the  Jew- 
91 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

ish  authorities,  with  all  the  abuse  heaped 
upon  Him  there,  then  in  the  morning  before 
Pilate  and  Herod,  the  scourging,  the  clothing 
with  the  purple  robe  and  crown  of  thorns,  the 
mocking  salutation,  'Hail,  King  of  the  Jews/ 
the  smiting  of  His  head  with  the  reed  they 
had  put  in  His  right  hand,  the  mocking  bow 
ing  of  the  knees  and  spitting  upon  Him. 
Then  He  was  led  out  wearing  the  purple  robe 
and  crown  of  thorns,  the  cry  of  the  chief 
priests  and  officers,  'Crucify  Him!  Crucify 
Him !  Away  with  Him !  Away  with  Him ! 
Crucify  Him!'" 

Grandma  Elsie  paused,  her  eyes  filled  with 
tears,  her  lips  trembling  with  emotion. 

"Oh,  how  wonderful  it  was  that  Jesus  bore 
it  all,  when  even  without  a  word  He  could 
have  made  every  one  of  those  dreadful  perse 
cutors  die,"  said  Elsie  Dinsmore. 

"Yes,"  said  her  aunt;  "His  love  and  com 
passion  for  us  sinners  was  wonderfully  great. 
Oh,  how  we  should  love  Him,  how  carefully 
obey  all  His  commands !  Ah,  how  sweet  it  ia 
92 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

to  belong  to  Him !  'Since  He  is  mine  and  I 
am  His,  what  can  I  want  beside/ ' 

"Grandma,  I  want  to  belong  to  Him,"  said 
Alie  Leland ;  "how  shall  I  get  to  be  His,  and 
know  that  I  am?" 

"Give  yourself  to  Him,  dear  child,  asking 
Him  to  make  you  just  what  He  would  have 
you  to  be.  His  promise  is,  'Him  that  cometh 
to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out;'  and  who 
shall  doubt  His  own  word?  And  how  kind 
and  forgiving  He  was!  Peter,  who  had 
denied  Him,  then  repented  with  bitter  weep 
ing,  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  first  to 
whom  He  appeared  after  His  resurrection. 
You  remember,  the  angel  whom  the  woman 
found  sitting  in  the  tomb  said  to  them,  'Go 
tell  His  disciples  and  Peter.' ' 

"And  if  we  are  really  His  disciples  we  will 
be  forgiven,  too,  won't  we,  grandma?"  said 
Elsie  Raymond. 

"Yes ;  we  will  ask  Him  to  help  us  to  be  so, 
and  He  will." 

"Grandma,"  said  Ned,  "wasn't  it  strange 
93 


ELSIE  AND   HER  NAMESAKES 

that  when  Jesus  could  make  victuals  so  easily 
He  should  say  to  the  disciples,  'Gather  up 
the  fragments  that  remain,  that  nothing  be 
lost'  ?" 

"I  think  it  was  to  teach  us  all  that  waste  is 
sinful ;  that  nothing  which  could  be  made  use 
ful  to  us  or  to  any  one  else  should  be  thrown 
away.  Let  us  take  the  lesson  to  heart  and 
carefully  obey  this,  and  every  teaching  of  our 
dear  Lord  and  Master,"  was  the  gentle,  sweet- 
toned  reply,  the  eyes  of  the  speaker  shining 
with  love  to  Him  of  whom  she  spoke,  and  joy 
that  she  was  His  very  own  for  time  and  for 
eternity. 


CHAPTER  VII 

"WHERE  are  we  now,  uncle  ?  Have  we  come 
down  to  Florida  yet?"  asked  Ned  at  the 
breakfast  table. 

"Yes;  we  are  now  moving  along  down  the 
east  coast  of  that  State,"  replied  Dr.  Harold ; 
"and  now  we  may  as  well  decide  at  which  and 
how  many  of  its  ports  we  will  call.  Should 
you  enjoy  visiting  St.  Augustine  and  Fort 
Marion  again,  Elsie  ?"  he  queried  with  a  look 
of  amusement  at  his  niece. 

"Oh,  no,  indeed,  uncle !"  was  the  quick,  em 
phatic  reply,  accompanied  by  a  little  shiver, 
as  if  the  very  name  brought  some  unpleasant 
recollection. 

"But  why  not  ?"  asked  Elsie  Dinsmore  with 
a  look  of  surprise  and  curiosity. 

"Oh,"  exclaimed  Elsie  Raymond,  "it's  a 
dreadful  place,  over  three  hundred  years  old, 
with  dungeons  where  people  used  to  be  tor- 
95 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

tured  long,  long  ago,  and  we  seemed  to  hear 
one  of  them  saying,  'Here  have  I  lain  for 
three  hundred  years  with  none  to  pity  or  help. 
Oh,  'tis  a  weary  while !  Shall  I  never,  never 
escape  ?' ' 

"But  as  Cousin  Ronald  is  not  with  us  now 
we  needn't  fear  a  repetition  of  that,"  re 
marked  Dr.  Harold  reassuringly.  "Still, 
perhaps  we  may  as  well  pass  St.  Augustine 
by  this  time,  and  visit  places  or  things  we  did 
not  look  at  before.  Mother,  what  do  you  say 
to  seeing  something  of  the  sponging  busi 
ness  ?" 

"That  it  would  be  instructive  and  probably 
quite  interesting,"  was  the  pleased  reply. 

"Sponging  business !"  echoed  Ned.  "What 
does  that  mean?" 

"The  work  of  gathering  sponges  and  making 
them  ready  for  the  market,"  replied  his  uncle. 

"Oh,  I  think  that  would  be  interesting!" 

Cried  the  little  fellow.    "Do  they  grow  down 

under  the  water,  and  are  they  nice  and  clean 

when  they  are  brought  up,  uncle  ?" 

96 


"ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Not  very,  Ned,"  replied  Dr.  Harold, 
smiling  kindly  upon  his  young  questioner; 
"but  with  your  grandma's  help  I  think  I  can 
give  you  all  needed  information  on  the  sub 
ject  ;  and  afterward  you  may  be  able  to  see  for 
yourself." 

"Oh,  that'll  be  good !  Will  you  tell  me  about 
it,  grandma?"  asked  Ned,  turning  excitedly 
to  her. 

"Sonny  boy,  we  will  have  a  nice  talk  about  it 
in  the  saloon  after  our  family  worship,"  Mrs. 
Travilla  replied  in  her  usual  kindly  tone. 

"And  I  am  sure  we  will  all  be  glad  to  hear 
whatever  you  can  tell  us  on  the  subject, 
mother,"  said  Grace.  "I  know  it  will  be 
interesting  to  me,  and  a  good  preparation 
for  the  sight  of  the  spongers'  work." 

The  two  Elsies  and  Alie  Leland  expressed 
their  pleasure  in  the  prospect  of  both  the  in 
formation  promised  by  Grandma  Elsie  and 
the  afterward  sight  of  the  doings  of  the 
spongers. 

"I  think,  if  it  suits  you,  mother,"  said  Dr. 

97 


ELSIE   AND   HER   'NAMESAKES 

Harold,  "we  will  have  our  talk  on  the  spong 
ing  subject  before  our  morning  exercise  upon 
the  deck.  Sitting  still  for  a  while  will  aid 
the  digestion  of  this  hearty  breakfast,  and  the 
sun  will  make  the  deck  a  little  warmer  for  us 
afterward." 

Everybody  seemed  pleased  with  that  plan, 
and  it  was  carried  out,  Dr.  Harold  making 
one  of  his  mother's  little  audience. 

"Haven't  you  a  map  of  Florida,  Harold  ?" 
she  asked. 

"Oh,  yes,  mother,  I  have,"  he  replied ;  "also 
some  pictures  that  will  be  helpful."  He 
hastened  to  his  stateroom  and  brought  them 
out. 

"Ah,  these  will  be  quite  a  help,"  she  said. 
"Come,  children,  let  us  look  at  the  map  first." 

Then,  as  they  gathered  round  the  table  on 
which  she  had  laid  the  map,  "There,  on  the 
east  coast,  near  the  southern  end  of  the  State, 
you  see  Miami,  and  starting  from  a  point 
near  it  a  chain  of  keys,  or  islands,  begins 
which  extends  in  the  shape  of  a  horn  away 
98 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

down  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  Dry  Tor- 
tugas  being  the  westernmost.  Sponges  are 
found  in  the  waters  surrounding  most  o£ 
these  keys,  also  between  them  and  the  main 
land  as  far  as  Cape  Sable.  This  is  called 
'the  key  grounds.'  Some  few  of  the  people 
living  on  the  larger  islands  and  spongers 
from  Key  West  are  the  only  persons  who 
engage  in  that  work  there.  In  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  on  the  west  coast,  are  the  'bay 
grounds,'  which  yield  the  most.  They  extend 
from  John's  Pass,  a  few  miles  north  of  the 
entrance  to  Tampa  Bay,  to  St.  Mark's  Light 
house." 

"How  far  is  that,  grandma  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"How  far,  Harold  ?"  she  asked. 

"About  two  hundred  miles,  mother,"  he  re 
plied. 

"There  are  some  few  sponges  found  between 
Tampa  Bay  and  Cape  Sable,  but  not  enough 
to  make  it  worth  while  to  take  special  trips 
to  that  point,"  she  continued. 

"Now,  who  can  tell  me  whether  it  is  to  the 
99 


vegetable    or    animal    kingdom    sponge   be 
longs  ?" 

"Oh,  grandma,"  laughed  Ned,  "I'm  sure  a 
sponge  isn't  an  animal." 

"Are  you?"  she  queried  with  an  amused 
•mile.  "Now,  little  girls,  what  are  your  opin 
ions  in  regard  to  the  matter  ?" 

"Why,  I  never  thought  of  a  sponge  as 
being  either  an  animal  or  a  vegetable!" 
exclaimed  Alie  Leland.  "Which  is  it, 
grandma  ?" 

"It  belongs  to  the  animal  kingdom,"  was  the 
reply.  "I  have  never  seen  it  in  its  natural 
state,  but  from  what  I  have  read  and  heard 
I  know  it  is  a  very  different  looking  object 
from  what  it  becomes  in  being  prepared  for 
the  market.  When  first  brought  up  from  the 
water  it  looks  something  like  a  jelly-fish  or 
mass  of  liver,  its  entire  surface  covered  with 
a  thin,  slimy  skin,  usually  of  a  dark  color, 
and  having  openings  into  what  we  call  the 
holes  of  the  sponge.  What  we  call  a  sponge 
is  really  only  the  skeleton  of  one." 
100 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

"And  men  go  down  into  deep  water  to  get 
them,  do  they  ?"  queried  Ned. 

"Do  you  know  how  deep  the  water  is  on  this 
coast,  Harold  ?"  asked  his  mother. 

"I  have  been  told  from  ten  to  fifty  feet  here 
in  Florida,  mother,  but  considerably  more 
in  the  Mediterranean  Sea;  and  the  finest 
grades  are  found  in  the  deepest  water. 
Sponges  from  that  sea^are  said  to  be  superior 
in  quality  to  those  found  in  either  Florida  or 
the  West  Indies." 

"Go  on,  my  son,  and  give  us  all  the  infor 
mation  you  can,"  said  his  mother  as  he 
paused. 

"If  you  wish  it,  mother,"  he  replied  with  an 
affectionate  look  and  smile.  "In  the  waters 
of  Florida  and  the  West  Indies  the  fishing 
is  done  in  flat-bottomed  boats  called  dingies. 
'A  tin  or  wooden  pail  with  a  glass  bottom  is 
used  to  help  locate  the  sponges  by  lowering 
it  into  the  water  and  looking  down  through 
it.  When  that  has  been  done,  they  are 
brought  up  by  means  of  a  pole  some  thirty 
101 


ELSIE   AND   HETt   NAMESAKES 

feet  long,  with  a  sharp,  curved,  double  hook, 
with  which  they,  the  sponges,  are  detached 
and  drawn  up  to  the  surface.  Having  gotten 
a  boatload,  it  is  laid  out  to  decompose  in  a 
kraal  on  the  beach,  where  it  is  washed  by  th« 
sea.  At  that  time  the  odor  is  very  unpleasant. 
When  they  have  been  in  the  kraal  about  a  week 
they  are  beaten  out  with  a  short,  heavy  stick, 
which  removes  most  of  the  slime  and  animal 
matter  still  remaining  in  them,  and  where 
the  black  scum  still  adheres  they  are  scraped 
with  a  knife.  The  sponges  are  next  squeezed 
out  right  thoroughly  with  the  hands,  then 
taken  to  the  shore  and  strung  on  pieces  of 
coarse  twine  about  six  feet  long,  and  then 
they  are  ready  for  sale  by  auction." 

"What  is  a  kraal,  uncle  ?"  asked  !N"ed. 

"It  is  a  pen,  generally  about  ten  feet  square, 
built  of  wattled  stakes,  and  is  placed  in 
shallow  water  near  some  key  or  island,"  re 
plied  Dr.  Harold.  "Here  is  a  picture  of  one/' 
he  added,  taking  it  from  the  table  and  holding 
it  out  so  that  all  could  see. 
102 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

It  was  gazed  upon  with  interest.  Then  sev 
eral  other  pictures  were  shown,  examined  and 
commented  upon  interestedly — one  or  two 
spongers  at  work  on  the  water,  one  of  them 
with  the  long,  hooked  pole,  the  other  gazing 
through  the  bucket  with  the  glass  bottom. 

Another  picture  was  of  the  sponge  yard  at 
Key  West,  showing  the  sponges  drying. 
There  were  pictures  of  sponge  auctions,  too, 
and  of  a  boat  bringing  sponges  to  the  wharf 
at  Key  West. 

"And  can  we  see  all  these  things  when  we 
get  there — to  Key  West,  I  mean?"  asked 
Ned,  adding,  "I  think  it  would  be  a  good  deal 
better — more  interesting — to  look  at  them 
than  only  at  their  pictures." 

"I  hope  to  give  you  that  pleasure,  Neddie 
boy,"  replied  his  uncle,  smiling  on  him  and 
patting  his  cheek.  "We  will  very  likely  have 
to  wait  a  day  or  two  at  Key  West  for  your 
father  and  mother  and  the  rest  who  are  to 
join  us  there  and  pass  with  us  through  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  on  the  way  to  Viamede." 
103 


ELSIE   AND   HER   'NAMESAKES 

"Is  there  a  town  there,  uncle  ?"  asked  Elsie. 

"Yes;  a  well-built  one,  with  wide  streets 
crossing  at  right  angles,  and  having  churches, 
schools  and  a  fine  Marine  Hospital  belonging 
to  the  United  States." 

"Hotels,  too,  I  suppose,"  remarked  Elsie 
Dinsmore,  "but  we  won't  care  for  them,  hav 
ing  this  delightful  yacht  to  stay  in." 

"No ;  and  in  it  we  can  sail  about  and  see  the 
originals  of  the  pictures  we  have  been  looking 
at.  Large  quantities  of  sponges,  turtles  and 
fish  are  sent  out  from  Key  West  to  our  At 
lantic  cities.  But  wrecking  is  the  principal 
business  of  the  place." 

"Why,  what  does  that  mean,  uncle  ?"  asked 
Ned. 

"You  know  what  we  mean  when  we  say  a 
vessel  has  been  wrecked,  don't  you?"  his 
uncle  asked  in  reply.  "Well,  about  forty-five 
or  fifty  vessels  are  wrecked  in  the  course  of 
a  year  near  Key  West,  and  the  people  of  that 
island  help  to  save  the  cargoes,  doing  so  in  a 
way  to  benefit  the  owners  as  well  as  them- 
104 


pelves.  I  am  told  they  derive  an  annual  profit 
of  about  two  hundred  thousand  dollars." 

"It  (Key  West)  is  considered  an  important 
military  station,  is  it  not  ?"  asked  Grace. 

"Yes ;  being  the  key  to  the  Florida  Pass  and 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,"  replied  Harold.  "It 
has  a  large  and  safe  harbor,  which  will  admit 
vessels  drawing  twenty-two  feet  of  water ;  and 
Fort  Taylor,  which  defends  it,  is  a  powerful 
work."  " 

"Oh,  I  for  one  expect  to  have  a  good  time 
there!"  exclaimed  his  cousin  Elsie;  "we  can 
visit  the  town  and  the  fort  to  see  what  they 
are  like,  then  come  back  to  this  yacht  and 
have  a  good  time  here  while  waiting  for  the 
rest  of  our  party." 

"Yes,  I  think  we  can,"  assented  Dr. 
Harold.  "And  now  suppose  we  all  wrap  up 
and  go  on  deck  for  a  little  healthful  exer 
cise." 

They  did  so,  and  all  greatly  enjoyed  their 
promenade,  though  Ned  soon  grew  weary 
enough  to  be  glad  to  go  below  again  and  lie 
105 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

down  for  a  little  nap.  Grandma  and  sister 
went  with  him,  the  other  children  soon  fol 
lowed,  and  Grace  and  her  husband  were  left 
alone  together,  a  state  of  things  by  no  means 
disagreeable  to  either.  It  was  still  very  early 
in  their  honeymoon,  and  dearly  as  they  loved 
their  mother  and  the  little  folks  so  nearly 
related  to  them,  they  were  glad  now  and  then 
to  be  left  quite  to  themselves — Harold  that 
he  might  pet  and  caress  his  heart's  idol  un 
observed,  and  Grace  that  she  might  receive 
and  return  such  tokens  of  ardent  affection" 
unabashed  by  the  thought  of  indifferent  or 
amused  spectators  of  the  scene. 

But  at  length  they  began  taking  note  of  the 
progress  that  they  were  making  toward  their 
destination,  and  Grace  asked: 

"How  soon  do  you  think  we  will  reach  Key 
West?" 

"We  are  nearing  it  now,"  replied  Harold, 
"and  will  anchor  in  the  harbor  to-night,  I 
think." 

"Oh,  I  am  glad  to  hear  that!"  exclaimed 
106 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Grace.    "And  how  soon  do  you  think  father 
and  his  party  will  join  us  ?" 

"Doubtless  in  a  few  days  we  shall  see  them. 
They  will  come  down  by  rail  to  Cedar  Keys, 
from  there  by  steamer  to  Key  West." 

"And  they  will  want  to  stay  a  few  days  to 
see  the  sponge  auctions,  sponge  yard  and 
so  forth ;  and  after  that  we  will  have  the  rest 
of  our  pleasant  journey  in  the  yacht  to  Via- 
mede,  mother's  beautiful  and  delightful 
Southern  home." 

"To  me  it  is  both  beautiful  and  delightful," 
returned  Harold,  smiling  fondly  upon  her, 
"and  I  am  very  glad  that  it  is  to  my  little  wife 
also." 

"Oh,  she's  not  so  very  little!"  exclaimed 
Grace  with  an  amused  and  happy  laugh, 
drawing  herself  up  to  her  full  height  as  she 
spoke. 

"Yet  rather  small  compared  to  your  tall, 
broad-shouldered  husband,"  returned  Harold, 
accompanying  his  words  with  a  very  loverlike 
caress. 

107 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Now,  Rory,  leave  off,  sir; 

You'll  hug  me  no  more; 
That  is  eight  times  to-day 

That  you've  kissed  me  before," 

eang  Grace,  ending  with  a  merry  laugh. 

"Then  here  goes  another  on  that  to  make  sure, 

For  there's  luck  in  odd  numbers  says  Rory  O'More." 

rejoined  Harold  in  laughing  reply,  and  suit 
ing  the  action  to  the  word. 

The  Dolphin  entered  the  harbor  of  Key 
West  early  that  evening  and  anchored  near 
the  shore.  All  her  passengers  were  on  deck, 
eager  to  take  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  place, 
expecting  to  do  more  than  that  in  the  morning. 

"I  suppose  we  will  all  go  ashore  directly,  or 
at  least  pretty  soon  after  breakfast,  won't  we, 
Harold  ?"  asked  Elsie  Dinsmore. 

"Hardly  all  of  us,  Cousin  Elsie,"  replied 
Harold,  giving  Ned  a  regretful  glance  as  he 
spoke;  "the  exertion  would  be  too  great  for 
my  young  patient's  strength,  and  surely  some 
one  of  us  should  stay  here  in  our  yacht  with 
him." 

108 


ELSIE   AND    BEE   NAMESAKES 

"And  his  grandmother  is  the  very  one  to  do 
that/'  quickly  responded  Mrs.  Elsie  Travilla. 

"But,  mother,  you  should  not  be  deprived  of 
the  sight  of  this  town  of  Key  West,"  remon 
strated  Harold,  and  Ned's  sisters,  Grace  and 
Elsie,  each  promptly  offered  to  stay  and  take 
care  of  their  little  invalid  brother.  "Very 
good  and  kind  of  you  both,"  remarked  Harold 
with  a  pleased  smile,  "but  now  I  think  of  it, 
we  are  likely  to  lie  in  this  port  for  some  days, 
and  that  being  the  case,  can  divide  forces  and 
make  two  trips  to  the  town,  some  going  to-day, 
others  to-morrow." 

"That  entirely  obviates  the  difficulty,"  said 
his  mother.  "I  will  be  caretaker  of  my  little 
grandson  to-day,  and  perhaps  some  one  else 
may  be  to-morrow." 

A  sailor  had  been  sent  ashore  to  inquire  for 
mail  and  telegrams,  and  now  approached  our 
party  with  several  letters  and  a  telegram,  that 
last  directed  to  Dr.  Harold,  who  took  and 
promptly  opened  it. 

"Ah  ha !"  he  said  with  a  pleased  smile ;  "the 

109 


ELSIE    AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

rest  of  our  party  will  be  here  with  us  soon — 
to-night  or  to-morrow,  I  think." 

"Oh,  that's  good!"  cried  ISTed  joyously; 
"how  glad  I'll  be  to  see  dear  papa  and 
mamma!  With  them  here  I  sha'n't  care  at 
all  for  not  being  able  to  go  on  shore." 

Everybody  else  seemed  to  share  his  delight 
at  the  prospect  of  the  expected  addition  to 
their  company,  and  talked  merrily  of  what 
they  hoped  to  do  and  see  in  the  next  few  days. 

"I  wish  you  could  go  ashore  with  the  rest 
of  us,  Neddie  dear,"  said  his  sister  in  a  re 
gretful  tone,  taking  his  hand  in  hers  and 
giving  it  an  affectionate  squeeze.  "You  poor 
little  brother,  it  does  seem  hard  that  you  have 
to  miss  so  many  of  the  pleasures  the  rest  of 
us  have." 

"It's  good  of  you  to  feel  so  for  me,  Elsie 
dear,"  he  replied,  returning  the  squeeze  and 
smiling  up  into  her  face,  "but  I  don't  mind  it 
a  bit  if  I  can  have  grandma  or  mamma  or 
papa  with  me;  they're  so  kind  and  tell  me 
such  nice  stories ;  and  I  can  have  a  rest  or  a 
nap  whenever  I  want  it." 
110 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  departure  of  the  bridal  party  from 
Woodtmrn  was  soon  followed  by  that  of  the 
guests,  till  all  were  gone  but  those  from 
Sunny  side.  They  were  entreated  to  linger, 
and  assured  there  was  nothing  to  hurry  them 
away  from  their  father's  house. 

"I  can't  bear  to  have  you  go  yet,"  said  Violet 
entreatingly.  "You  are  the  only  ones  of  my 
husband's  children  left  to  us,  and  the  house 
will  seem  desolate  enough  to  him  and  me  till 
we,  too,  can  start  for  Viamede.  Besides,  you 
are  none  of  you  going  there  with  us,  so  we 
want  to  see  all  we  can  of  you  now  and  here." 

"We  do,  indeed,"  said  the  captain;  "and 
especially  of  you,  Max,  as  there  is  no  know 
ing  how  long  it  may  be  before  Uncle  Sam 
will  let  us  have  you  with  us  again." 

"True,  father,  and  I  don't  want  to  lose  a 

minute  of  the  time  I  may  have  with  you," 

111 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

returned  Max  feelingly,  "or  with  the  other 
dear  ones — wife,  child,  sister  and  brother," 
he  added,  glancing  from  one  to  another. 

"]STo;  and  we  all  want  to  be  together  while 
we  can;  it  is  so  sad  to  have  to  part  even 
for  a  time,"  sighed  Lucilla,  turning  a  regret 
fully  affectionate  look  upon  one  and  another, 
especially  her  father,  her  eyes  filling  as 
they  met  the  tenderly  loving  expression  in 
his. 

"Yes,  parting  is  hard,"  he  said  with  forced 
cheerfulness;  "but  we  will  console  ourselves 
with  the  thought  that  it  is  not  likely  to  be 
for  very  long.  We  seem  to  be  in  that  respect 
an  unusually  happy  family." 

"True,  and  I  think  our  wedding  party  has 
been  an  entire  success,"  said  Violet  in  her 
usual  sprightly  tones ;  "nothing  went  wrong, 
and  our  darling  Grace  made  the  loveliest  of 
brides." 

There  was  a  word  of  cordial  assent  to  that 
from  all  present  except  Baby  Mary,  who  ha<? 
fallen  asleep  in  her  mother's  arms. 
112 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"How  long  may  you  stay  with  us  this  time, 
Max?"  asked  Chester. 

"I  must  leave  next  Tuesday  morning," 
was  the  reply.  "May  I  trust  you  to  take 
good  care  of  my  wife  and  daughter  while 
they  are  left  alone  with  you  and  Sister 
Lu?" 

"Certainly;  I  intend  to  do  the  very  best  I 
can  for  them,"  returned  Chester  with  the  air 
of  one  making  a  very  solemn  promise.  "I 
hope  you  are  willing  to  trust  me,  Sister  Eva  ?" 
turning  to  her. 

"Perfectly,"  she  said  with  a  pleasant  little 
laugh.  "And  Lu  and  I  will  try  to  take  good 
nare  of  Baby  Mary's  Uncle  Chester." 

"Ah,  it  seems  it  is  worth  my  while  to  claim 
to  be  that,"  he  laughed. 

"My  dear,"  said  Violet,  addressing  the  cap 
tain,  "don't  you  think  we  can  make  our 
arrangements  to  leave  for  Viamede  by  next 
Tuesday  morning  ?" 

"Yes;  I  think  we  can  if  you  wish  to  go 
then,"  he  replied ;  "and  by  so  doing  we  should 
113 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

probably  reach  Key  West  only  a  day  or  two 
later  than  our  party  on  the  Dolphin." 

"Which  would  be  very  pleasant  for  our  dear 
ones,  especially  Elsie  and  Ned." 

"And  how  glad  they  will  be  to  see  papa  and 
mamma,"  remarked  Lucilla,  unable  to  re 
press  a  sigh  as  she  spoke. 

"Daughter  dear,  I  am  sorry,  indeed,  that 
you,  Chester,  Eva  and  Max  are  not  all  to  be 
of  our  party,"  her  father  said,  regarding  her 
with  a  loving,  regretful  look;  "but  cheer  up 
with  the  thought  that  the  separation  is  not 
likely  to  be  a  very  long  one.  We  may  hope 
to  be  all  together  again  in  a  few  months ;  and 
I  hope  with  Ned  quite  restored  to  wonted 
health  and  strength." 

"Oh,  I  hope  so,"  she  said.  "Dear  little 
fellow !  His  Sister  Lu  is  very  fond  of  him. 
And,  father,  you  will  write  frequently  to 
me?" 

"Every  day  if  you  will  do  the  same  by  me," 

he  answered  with  a  smile.    "And  in  addition 

to  that  we  can  have  telegrams  and  'phone 

114 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

messages.  So  that  the  separation  will  not  be 
so  bad  as  it  was  in  the  days  when  I  was  in 
Uncle  Sam's  naval  service.  Now  I  think  I'll 
go  to  the  'phone  and  ask  if  cousins  Ronald 
and  Annis  can  be  ready  to  start  on  Tuesday 
morning." 

He  did  so,  and  the  answer  was  in  the  affirm 
ative.  Everybody  was  glad,  for  those  cousins 
were  esteemed  good  company  by  one  and  all, 
and  Ned  was  known  to  be  always  greatly 
entertained  by  Cousin  Ronald's  use  of  his 
ventriloquial  powers. 

"The  fun  he  will  make  for  our  Neddie  boy 
will  do  the  little  chap  a  world  of  good,  no 
doubt,"  said  Max  with  satisfaction. 

"Surely  it  will,"  said  Lucilla ;  "and  I  am  so 
glad  that  Dr.  Harold  still  has  him  in  his 
charge,  for  certainly  Harold  is  a  skilful 
physician,  even  though  related  to  us,"  she 
added  with  a  little  laugh. 

"Yes,"  said  her  father ;  "I  am  glad  he  is  to 
be  with  us,  and  that  our  dear  ones  here  will 
still  have  the  services  of  his  brother  Herbert 
115 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

and  Dr.  Arthur  Conly,  both  equally  skilful  in 
the  practice  of  their  profession.  Don't  let 
them  neglect  you,  daughter/'  he  added 
earnestly.  "Don't  fail  to  summon  them 
promptly,  Chester,  should  any  one  of  you  be 
at  all  ill." 

"Rest  assured  I  will  not,  sir,"  returned 
Chester  with  prompt  decision.  "Trust  me  to 
do  my  very  best  for  the  health  and  happiness 
of  the  two  dear  ladies  left  in  my  charge ;  the 
little  newcomer  also." 

"Thank  you,  Brother  Chester,"  said  Max. 
"It  is  a  great  comfort  to  me  that  I  can  leave 
my  dear  ones  in  your  care." 

"It  seems  hard  to  give  our  dear  ones  into  the 
scare  of  others,"  sighed  Violet.  "It  was  hard 
for  us  to  part  with  our  darling  Neddie  for 
even  a  few  days,  but  mamma  and  Harold  can 
and  will  take  better  care  of  him  than  we  could, 
and  we  hope  to  join  them  very  soon." 

"Yes,"  said  the  captain ;  "and  when  we  start 
we  may  hope  to  overtake  them  in  somewhat 
less  than  two  days." 

116 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Yes,  father,"  responded  Max;  "and  what 
a  blessing  it  is  that  travelling  is  so  much 
speedier  work  than  it  used  to  be  even  not  so 
very  many  years  ago." 

"And  that  messages  can  be  sent  and  received 
so  promptly  by  telegraph  and  'phone,"  re 
sponded  the  captain.  "It  seems  to  bring  dis 
tant  parts  of  the  world  much  nearer  than 
they  used  to  be,  so  that  temporary  separations 
by  land  or  sea  are  not  now  the  sore  trials  they 
were  in  former  days." 

"Eva  and  I  feel  it  a  great  comfort,"  said 
Max,  turning  to  his  wife  and  child  with  a 
tender  smile,  "as  in  case  I  were  needed  here 
I  might  be  so  easily  summoned  and  come 
promptly,  even  at  the  risk  of  having  to  resign 
from  the  navy,"  he  added  in  a  half  jesting 
tone. 

"Ah,  Max,  the  possibility  of  tempting  you 
to  so  rash  an  act  as  that  would  certainly  make 
me  hesitate  to  summon  you,  except  in  a  case 
of  the  direst  necessity,"  said  Eva  in  tones 
tremulous  with  emotion. 
117 


"But  we  will  hope  that  no  such  necessity 
may  ever  arise,"  remarked  Captain  Raymond 
in  a  cheery  tone.  "By  the  way,  let  us  take 
another  look  at  Grace's  bridal  gifts.  Many 
of  them  are  well  worth  close  scrutiny." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  Violet;  "and  I  must 
see  them  carefully  packed  away  to-day  or  to 
morrow." 

"Oh,  let  us  help  you  with  it  to-day,  Mamma 
Vi,"  said  Lucilla. 

"Thank  you,  I  will,"  replied  Violet. 

Examining,  chatting  over  and  the  packing 
away  of  the  numerous  bridal  gifts  occupied 
the  greater  part  of  the  afternoon;  an  early 
tea  followed,  and  soon  after  that  the  Sunny- 
eide  folk  returned  to  their  homes,  thinking 
it  not  well  to  have  the  baby  out  any  later 
tfc£tt  that  in  cold  weather. 

For  the  next  few  days  Violet  and  the  captain 
felt  it  lonely  enough  without  the  dear  ones 
aboard  the  Dolphin,  but  busied  themselves 
with  preparations  for  following  them,  and  in 
the  meantime  greatly  enjoyed  their  daily  in- 
118 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

tercourse  with  their  near  and  loved  neigh 
bors,  his  older  children  and  the  baby  grand 
daughter. 

So  the  time  passed,  and  to  most  of  them  it 
seemed  but  a  little  while  before  Tuesday 
morning  dawned.  Good-bys  were  then  said; 
Max  went  his  way  northward  and  the  others 
of  the  captain's  party  took  a  southward-bound 
train  of  cars,  which  carried  them  to  Cedar 
Keys,  on  the  western  Florida  coast.  From 
there  they  went  down  by  steamer  to  Key 
West.  As  we  have  seen,  the  captain  had 
sent  a  telegram  ahead,  and  their  arrival 
was  a  glad  event,  but  not  a  surprise  to 
the  Dolphin's  passengers.  Ned's  joy  was 
very  great.  He  had  been  happy  with  grand 
ma,  uncle  and  sisters,  but  papa  and  mamma 
were  even'  more  to  him  than  were  they,  so 
that  their  coming  seemed  to  quicken  his  re 
covery.  Several  days  were  spent  at  that 
port,  that  all  might  have  abundant  oppor 
tunity  to  see  all  on  both  land  and  water  that 
they  cared  to  see.  Ned  had  no  desire  to  visit 
119 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

the  sponge  yards  or  auctions,  but  some 
sponges  were  brought  on  board  the  Dolphin^ 
and  he  was  rather  startled  for  a  moment 
when,  on  picking  one  up,  a  scream  as  of  pain 
and  anger  seemed  to  come  from  it.  "Don't, 
you  naughty  boy;  just  let  me  alone!" 

"Oh,"  cried  Ned,  dropping  it  hastily,  "I 
didn't  know  you  were  alive.  But  don't  be 
seared;  I'll  not  hurt  you." 

Then  noticing  a  quizzical  look  in  his  father's 
eye,  and  catching  the  sound  of  a  half-smoth 
ered  laugh  from  his  sister  and  some  of  the 
others,  he  suddenly  comprehended  how  it 
happened  that  the  sponge  seemed  so  alive  and 
able  to  speak  in  good,  plain  English. 

"Oh,  I  know ;  it  was  Cousin  Ronald  making 
the  thing  talk;  for  it  can't  be  that  it's  alive 
after  being  pulled  up  out  of  the  water  and 
scraped  and  cleaned  and  all  that." 

"Silly  boy!  Dead  folks  can't  talk,  but  I 
can,"  the  sponge  seemed  to  reply,  speaking 
in  a  sneering  tone. 

,"  laughed  Ned;  "but  Cousin  Ronald 

120 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

isn't  dead,  if  you  are.  Besides,  I  don't 
believe  you  could  talk  when  you  were 
alive." 

"Huh!  Much  you  know  about  it.  Some 
silly  little  folks  think  they  know  a  great  deal 
more  than  they  do." 

Ned  seemed  highly  amused.  "Oh,  it's  good 
fun,  Cousin  Ronald,  so  please  keep  on,"  he 
begged,  looking  up  into  the  kindly  face  of  the 
old  gentleman. 

"Well,  now,"  Mr.  Lilburn  exclaimed,  as  if 
much  surprised,  "I  don't  live  in  that  bit  of 
sponge." 

"No,"  laughed  Ned ;  "it's  much  too  little  for 
anybody  to  live  in;  but  I  think  your  voice 
can  get  in  it,  and  it's  real  fun  to  hear  it  talk, 
so  please  make  it  say  something  more." 

"I  used  to  live  on  the  rocks  away  down 
under  the  water,"  the  sponge  seemed  to  say; 
"that  was  my  home,  and  I  wanted  to  stay 
there,  but  a  cruel  man  came  down,  pulled 
me  off,  and  brought  me  up,  and  I've  had  an 
awful  time  ever  since;  they  shook  me  and 

121 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

scraped  me  and  squeezed  me  so  hard  and  long 
that  now  I'm  more  dead  than  alive." 

"Oh,  it's  too  bad!"  exclaimed  Ned.  «I 
think  they  might  have  let  you  live  on  in  your 
own  home.  Maybe  we  might  send  you  back: 
to  it,  if  you  were  alive ;  but  it's  no  use  now  if 
you  are  dead." 

"Well,  Neddie  boy,  don't  you  think  Mr. 
Sponge  has  talked  enough  now?"  asked 
Cousin  Ronald  in  his  own  natural  voice. 
"I  am  really  afraid  our  good  friends  here 
must  be  tired  of  the  very  sound  of  his 
voice." 

"Perhaps  they  are,"  replied  Ned ;  "and  I'm 
afraid  you  are  tired  making  him  talk.  But 
it  has  been  good  fun,  and  I  am  very  much 
obliged  to  you  for  it,  Cousin  Ronald." 

"You  are  very  welcome,"  replied  Mr.  Lil- 
burn ;  "and  I  am  very  glad  to  be  able  to  give 
a  bit  of  amusement  to  a  young  cousin  who  has 
been  so  ill." 

"Thank  you,  sir ;  you  are  ever  so  kind,"  re 
turned  Ned  in  grateful  tones. 
122 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

All  this  happened  on  deck,  late  in  the  after 
noon,  and  Dr.  Harold  now  said  he  thought  it 
time  for  his  little  patient  to  be  taken  down 
into  the  saloon,  as  the  air  was  growing  quite 
cool. 

"Oh  uncle,  I  don't  want  to  go  down  yet, 
leaving  all  this  good  company,"  exclaimed 
"Ned  imploringly. 

"But  you  don't  want  to  get  worse,  do  you  3" 
asked  Harold  in  kindly  tones. 

"And  mother  will  go  with  you,"  said  Violet, 
rising  and  taking  his  hand  in  hers. 

"Father,  too;  and  he'll  carry  you  down," 
added  the  captain,  taking  the  little  fellow  in 
his  arms  and  hastening  toward  the  stairway 
leading  to  the  cabin  of  the  vessel.  Violet  fol 
lowed  close  behind  them,  and  Dr.  Harold  and 
Grace  brought  up  the  rear;  Grandma  Elsie, 
the  younger  Elsies  and  Alie  Leland  following 
them  also,  Annis  and  Cousin  Konald,  too,  so 
that  in  a  few  minutes  the  Dolphins  passen 
gers  had  all  deserted  the  deck  for  the  saloon. 

Then  presently  came  the  call  to  supper,  and 
123 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

all  gathered  about  a  table  well  furnished  with 
wholesome,  satisfying  food  and  drink. 

Grace  sat  at  her  father's  right  hand,  be 
tween  him  and  her  husband,  and  as  he  carved 
the  fowl  and  filled  the  plates,  he  every  now 
and  then  gave  her  a  pleased,  scrutinizing, 
smiling  glance. 

"You  are  looking  bright  and  well, 
daughter,"  he  said  at  length.  "Your 
honeymoon  seems  to  agree  with  you,  though 
it  is  perhaps  rather  early  to  judge  of 
that." 

"It  has  been  very  delightful  so  far,  papa," 
she  returned  with  a  smiling  glance  first  at 
him  and  then  up  into  Harold's  face ;  "it  could 
hardly  be  otherwise  in  such  a  vessel  and  in 
such  company — with  a  dear  mother,  a  good 
doctor,  a  kind  husband — indeed,  everything 
heart  could  wish,  except  the  dear  ones  left  be 
hind — my  dear  father,  mamma  and  sisters 
Lu  and  Eva;  not  to  mention  darling  Baby 
Mary.  And  now,"  she  concluded,  "since  two 
of  the  dearest  ones,  and  Cousin  Ronald  and 
124 


ELSIE    AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

Annis  have  joined  us,  I  am  full  of  content, 
of  joy,  and  very,  very  happy." 

"Yes,  Gracie,  it's  ever  so  nice  to  have  them 
all  here- — particularly  papa  and  mamma,"  re 
marked  Ned,  with  a  sigh  of  content ;  "and  I 
hope  Cousin  Ronald  is  going  to  make  lots  of 
fun  for  us." 

"But  maybe  Dr.  Harold  won't  approve  of 
BO  much  fun  for  his  young  patient,"  suggested 
a  voice  that  seemed  to  come  from  somewhere 
in  Ned's  rear. 

"Oh,  who  are  you  now?"  queried  the  little 
fellow,  turning  half  round  in  his  chair  to  look 
behind  him. 

"Somebody  that  knows  a  thing  or  two,"  re 
plied  the  same  voice,  now  apparently  coming 
from  a  distant  part  of  the  room. 

"Oh,  you  do,  do  you  ?"  laughed  Ned.  "Well, 
I  think  I  begin  to  know  who  you  are,"  he 
added,  turning  a  half-convinced,  half-inquir 
ing  look  upon  Cousin  Ronald. 

"Ha !  ha !    Some  little  boys  think  themselves 

very  wise,  even  when  they  don't  understand 

125 


'ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

a  matter  at  all,"  returned  the  voice  of  the 
invisible  speaker. 

"But  I  do,  though,"  returned  Ned ;  "I  know 
Cousin  Ronald  and  a  thing  or  two  about  what 
he  can  do.  But  it's  fun,  anyhow;  it  seems 
so  real,  even  if  I  do  know  he's  doing  it." 

"And  you  think  I'm  your  Cousin  Ronald,  do 
you  ?  Do  I  look  like  that  old  gent  ?"  asked  the 
voice,  seeming  to  come  from  within  an  ad 
joining  stateroom. 

"Old  gent  isn't  a  nice  name  to  give  a  real 
gentleman  like  our  Cousin  Ronald,"  retorted 
Ned  in  a  tone  of  disgust,  which  caused  a 
laugh  of  amusement  from  most  of  those  about 
the  table. 

"There,  my  son,  that  will  do  now ;  let  us  see 
you  finish  your  supper  quietly,"  said  Captain 
Raymond,  and  Ned  obeyed. 


126 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  next  morning  the  weather  was  such  as 
made  the  Dolphins  saloon  a  more  attractive 
place  to  her  passengers  than  was  her  deck ;  so 
there  they  all  gathered  and  sat  chatting  cosily 
together  till  at  length  the  children  began  ask 
ing  Grandma  Elsie  for  another  of  her  inter 
esting  historical  stories. 

"I  think  it  is  Captain  Raymond's  turn  to 
be  narrator  now,"  she  said  with  a  smiling 
glance  at  him,  "and  I  feel  inclined  to  be  one 
of  the  audience." 

"And  I  am  inclined  to  be  a  listener  to  a  story 
from  you,  mother,"  he  returned  pleasantly; 
"or  if  you  are  unwilling  to  entertain  us  in 
that  way  this  morning,  perhaps  Cousin  Ron 
ald  may  feel  inclined  to  do  so." 

"Thanks  for  the  invitation,  captain,  but  I 
would  vastly  prefer  the  role  of  listener,"  was 
Mr.  Lilburn's  response  to  that,  and  after  a 
127 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

moment's  silent  consideration  the  captain 
said:  "As  we  are  now  passing  through  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  some  distance  south  of  the 
States  of  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  I  suppose 
a  few  passages  from  their  history  may  prove 
interesting  and  instructive  to  at  least  the 
younger  members  of  my  audience.  Shall  I 
give  them?" 

The  query  seemed  addressed  to  the  children, 
and  was  promptly  replied  to  by  a  chorus  of 
expressions  of  pleasure  in  the  prospect;  for 
all  there  knew  the  captain  to  be  an  interest 
ing  narrator  of  historical  events. 

"I  shall  begin  with  Alabama,  just  now  the 
nearer  of  the  two  States,"  he  said.  "The 
word  Alabama  signifies  'Here  we  rest.'  It  is 
an  Indian  expression.  Fernando  de  Soto  was 
tHe  first  white  man  who  ever  entered  the 
State.  That  was  in  1540.  His  coming  dis 
pleased  the  Indians  who  lived  there  and  con 
sidered  the  country  their  own,  therefore  they 
opposed  his  progress  in  several  battles.  He 
found  them  more  civilized  than  in  other  see- 
128 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

tions  of  America  which  he  visited.  Just 
above  the  confluence  of  the  Tombigbee  and 
Alabama  rivers  they  had  a  place  called  Mau- 
bila,  consisting  of  eighty  handsome  houses, 
each  large  enough  to  contain  a  thousand  men. 
Round  about  them  was  a  high  wall,  made  of 
immense  trunks  of  trees  set  deep  in  the 
ground  and  close  together,  strengthened  with 
cross-timbers  and  interwoven  with  large 
vines. 

De  Soto  and  his  men  entered  the  town,  and 
were  presently  treacherously  attacked  by  ten 
thousand  of  the  Indians.  The  Spaniards  re 
sisted  the  attack,  and  a  battle  ensued  which 
lasted  nine  hours,  and  resulted  in  the  de 
struction  of  the  town  and  the  killing  of  six 
thousand  Indians.  The  Spaniards,  too,  suf 
fered  terribly,  lost  eighty  men,  forty-five 
horses  and  all  their  baggage  and  camp  equi 
page." 

"So  it  was  very  bad  for  both  armies,  wasn't 
it,  papa !"  said  Ned. 

"Yes,  it  was,  indeed,"  replied  his  father^ 
129 


"but  the  Spaniards  were  the  ones  most  to 
blame.  This  country  belonged  to  the  In 
dians  ;  what  right  had  the  Spaniards  to  come 
here  and  try  to  take  it  from  them  ?  Surely, 
none  at  all.  What  presumption  it  was  in  the 
sovereigns  of  Europe  to  give  to  whomsoever 
they  pleased  great  tracts  of  land  in  America 
to  which  they  themselves  had  no  real  right. 

"But  to  go  back  to  my  story.  The  Indians 
were  desperate,  and  fought  the  invaders,  con 
testing  every  rood  of  the  ground  from  the  hour 
of  their  landing.  And  naturally,  whenever  a 
Spaniard  fell  into  their  hands,  they  returned 
cruelty  for  cruelty;  and  the  Spaniards  were 
very,  very  cruel  to  men,  women  and  children ; 
but  De  Soto  grew  tired  of  Having  the  cruelty 
of  his  men  returned  upon  them,  therefore  he  in 
vited  a  powerful  Creek  chief  to  meet  him  for 
a  friendly  talk.  But  the  chief  scorned  the 
invitation,  called  the  white  men  by  the  names 
they  deserved,  and  gave  them  warning  that  he 
would  never  cease  making  war  upon  them  as 
long  as  one  of  their  hated  race  remained  in 
130 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

the  country.  And  both  he  and  his  followers 
carried  out  their  threat,  resorting  to  ambush 
and  stealthy  surprises,  killing  scores,  whose 
heads  they  chopped  off  and  carried  on  the 
ends  of  poles. 

"But  some  of  this  you  have  been  told  be 
fore  in  our  talks  over  the  history  of  Florida. 

"De  Soto  crossed  Northern  Georgia  and 
Northeastern  Alabama  to  Maubila,  where 
they  had  that  terrific  fight  of  which  I  have 
just  told  you.  The  following  winter  was  a 
severe  one,  passed  by  the  Spaniards  in  the 
country  of  the  Chickasaws,  around  the  tribu 
taries  of  the  Yazoo.  In  the  spring  a  furious 
engagement  took  place  with  the  Chickasaws, 
in  which  the  Spaniards  came  near  being  anni 
hilated.  In  April  the  forlorn  remnant  began 
again  tramping  through  the  wilderness, 
blindly  groping  for  the  land  where  De  Soto 
had  been  told  he  would  find  great  quantities 
of  gold. 

"In  the  month  of  May,  1541,  De  Soto  and 
his  men  reached  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi 
131 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

River,  above  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Francis. 
The  men  stood  a  long  time,  gazing  upon  it 
with  awe  and  admiration,  for  it  is  one  of  the 
mightiest  rivers  of  the  world,  and  they  were 
the  first  Europeans  to  see  it  at  any  distance 
above  its  mouth." 

"And  did  they  stop  there,  papa?"  asked 
Ned. 

"No,  my  son;  they  were  not  yet  ready  to 
give  up  their  search  for  gold  and  for  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  which  they  believed  was  now 
not  far  away." 

"Didn't  know  much  about  geography,  did 
they  ?"  laughed  Ned. 

"No ;  scarcely  anything  of  that  of  this  con 
tinent,"  replied  his  father ;  "but  perhaps  my 
little  son  is  not  much  wiser  now  in  regard 
to  what  was  then  the  condition  of  what  is  now 
this  great  country  of  ours.  Can  you  tell  him, 
Grace,  what  it  was  at  that  time?" 

"In  1540,  papa  ?  A  wilderness  peopled  only 
by  savages  and  wild  beasts.  It  was  not  until 
1620  that  the  pilgrims  came  to  Massachusetts. 
132 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

The  first  settlement  in  Maryland  was  not 
made  until  1631.  Virginia's  first  settlers 
came  in  160Y.  But  the  French  Huguenots 
planted  a  colony  in  South  Carolina  as  early 
as  May,  1562,  twenty  years  later  than  De 
Soto's  visit  to  Alabama.  Georgia  was  the  last 
settled  of  the  thirteen  original  colonies." 

"And  those  thirteen  colonies  were  all  there 
was  of  our  country  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  weren't  they?"  asked 
Elsie  Dinsmore. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  captain;  "thirteen  col 
onies  at  the  beginning  of  that  war,  thirteen 
States  before  it  ended. 

"But  to  go  back  to  the  story  of  Alabama. 
It  seems  to  have  been  left  to  the  Indians  until 
the  spring  of  1682,  when  Robert  Cavalier 
de  la  Salle  descended  the  Mississippi  to  its 
mouth,  named  the  country  Louisiana,  and 
took  possession  of  it  in  the  name  of  the  King 
of  France.  All  the  Mississippi  valley  was 
then  claimed  by  France,  but  in  1763  she 
ceded  it  to  England.  West  Florida,  from 
133 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

1764  to  1781,  included  quite  a  good  deal  of 
the  present  territory  of  Alabama  and  Missis 
sippi.  In  May  of  1779  Spain  declared  war 
against  Great  Britain,  and  the  next  MarcH 
the  Spanish  governor  of  Louisiana  captured 
Mobile.  In  1783  Great  Britain  ceded  to  the 
United  States  all  territory  east  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  except  Florida,  which  she  ceded  bacK 
to  spain. 

"Alabama  was  at  that  time  almost  entirely; 
in  the  occupation  of  the  Indians.  There  was 
a  garrison  of  Spanish  troops  at  Mobile,  one 
at  St.  Stephen's,  on  the  Tombigbee,  and  there 
were  trading  posts  at  different  points  in  the 
South  and  West.  And  now  the  United  States 
bought  the  whole  country  west  of  what  is  now 
Georgia  to  the  Mississippi,  and  in  1817  made 
it  the  Mississippi  Territory.  Fort  Stoddard 
was  built  near  the  confluence  of  the  Alabama 
and  Tombigbee.  During  the  War  of  1812 
with  Great  Britain  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
fighting  with  the  Indians  of  Alabama.  The 
Creeks  were  the  principal  tribe,  and  in  1812 
134 


'ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

they  were  stirred  up  to  war  by  Tecumseh, 
the  celebrated  Shawnee  warrior.  In  August 
they  attacked  Fort  Mimms;  the  garrison 
made  a  desperate  resistance,  but  were  over 
come,  and  out  of  three  hundred  men,  women 
and  children,  only  seventeen  survived  the 
massacre. 

"This  aroused  the  adjoining  States  to  action. 
Generals  Jackson,  Claiborn,  Floyd  and  Coffee 
entered  the  Indian  country  and  defeated  tho 
Indians  at  Talladega,  where  two  hundred  and 
ninety  of  their  warriors  were  slain.  In  the 
same  month  (November)  General  Floyd 
attacked  the  Creeks  on  their  sacred  ground, 
at  Autossee.  Four  hundred  of  their  houses 
were  burned  and  two  hundred  of  their  war 
riors  killed,  among  whom  were  the  kings  of 
Autossee  and  Tallahassee.  The  last  stand  of 
the  Creeks  was  at  Horseshoe  Bend,  where  the 
Indians  fought  desperately,  but  were  defeated 
with  the  loss  of  nearly  six  hundred  men.  The 
remaining  warriors  submitted,  and  in  1814 
a  treaty  of  peace  was  made,  and  the  remain- 

135 


"ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

der  of  the  Creeks  have  removed  beyond  the 
Mississippi. 

"After  that  people  poured  in  from  Georgia, 
the  two  Carolinas,  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and 
Virginia.  The  State  grew  rapidly  in  wealth 
and  population,  so  that  in  1860  it  was  the 
fourth  of  the  South  in  importance  and  the 
second  in  the  amount  of  cotton  produced." 

"It  was  a  slave  State,  wasn't  it,  papa,  and 
one  that  seceded  in  the  time  of  the  Civil 
War  ?"  asked  Elsie  Raymond. 

"Yes;  on  the  llth  of  January,  1861,  the 
State  seceded  from  the  Union  and  joined  the 
Southern  Confederacy.  A  sad  thing  for  her, 
for  a  great  deal  of  the  desperate  fighting  took 
place  within  her  borders.  The  losses  in  the 
upper  counties  were  immense,  and  raiding 
parties  frequently  desolated  the  central  ones. 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  defending  the  en 
trance  to  Mobile  Bay,  were  besieged  and 
taken  by  the  United  States  forces  in  1865, 
and  in  the  same  year  the  victory  of  Mobile 
Bay,  the  severest  naval  battle  of  the  war,  was 
136 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

won  by  the  national  forces  under  Admiral 
Farragut." 

"But  the  folks  there  are  not  rebs  any  more, 
I  suppose,"  remarked  Ned  in  a  tone  of  in 
quiry. 

"No,  my  son,"  replied  the  captain.  "I  be 
lieve  the  most,  if  not  all,  of  them  are  good 
Union  people,  now  proud  and  fond  of  this 
great  country,  the  United  States  of  America." 


137 


CHAPTER  X 

"YouB  story  of  Alabama  was  very  interest 
ing,  I  think,  papa,"  said  Elsie  Raymond, 
"and  if  you  are  not  too  tired,  won't  you  no~vr 
tell  us  about  Mississippi?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  captain.  "I  have  told 
you  about  De  Soto  and  his  men  coming  there 
in  1540.  At  that  time  what  is  now  the  terri 
tory  of  that  State  was  divided  between  the 
Chickasaw,  Choctaw  and  Natchez  Indians. 
It  was  more  than  a  hundred  years  afterward, 
in  1681,  that  La  Salle  descended  the  Missis 
sippi  River  from  the  Illinois  country  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico;  and  in  1700  Iberville,  the 
French  governor  of  Louisiana,  planted  a  col 
ony  on  Ship  Island,  on  the  gulf  coast.  That 
settlement  was  afterward  removed  to  Biloxi, 
on  the  mainland.  Bienville,  another  gov 
ernor  of  Louisiana,  established  a  post  on  the 
138 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Mississippi  River,  and  called  it  Fort  Rosalie. 
That  was  in  1761,  and  now  the  city  of  Nat 
chez  occupies  that  spot.  A  few  years  later, 
in  1729,  the  Natchez  Indians,  growing 
alarmed  at  the  increasing  power  of  the 
French,  resolved  to  exterminate  them.  On 
the  28th  of  November  of  that  year  they  at 
tacked  the  settlement  of  Fort  Rosalie  and 
killed  the  garrison  and  settlers — seven  hun 
dred  persons.  When  that  terrible  news 
reached  New  Orleans,  Bienville  resolved  to 
retaliate  upon  the  murderers.  The  Chicka- 
saws  were  enemies  of  the  Natchez;  he  ap 
plied  to  them  for  help,  and  they  furnished 
him  with  sixteen  thousand  warriors.  With 
them  and  his  own  troops  Bienville  besieged 
the  Natchez  in  their  fort,  but  they  escaped 
in  the  night  and  fled  west  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  French  followed  and  forced  them  to  sur 
render,  then  took  them  to  New  Orleans,  sent 
them  to  the  island  of  St.  Domingo,  and  sold 
them  as  slaves." 

"AH  of  them,  papa  ?"  asked  Ned. 
139 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Nearly  all,  I  believe,"  replied  his  father; 
"they  were  but  a  small  nation,  and  very  little 
was  heard  of  them  after  that.  The  Chicka- 
saws  were  a  large  and  powerful  tribe  living 
in  the  fertile  region  of  the  upper  Tombigbee ; 
the  French  knew  that  they  had  incited  the 
Natchez  against  them,  and  now  Bienville  re 
solved  to  attack  them.  In  1736  he  sailed 
from  New  Orleans  to  Mobile  with  a  strong 
force  of  French  troops  and  twelve  hundred 
Choctaw  warriors.  From  Mobile  he  ascended 
the  Tombigbee  River  in  boats  for  five  hun 
dred  miles,  to  the  southeastern  border  of  the 
present  county  of  Pontotoc.  The  Chickasaw 
fort  was  a  powerful  stronghold  about  twenty- 
five  miles  from  that  point. 

"Bienville  took  measures  to  secure  his  boats, 
then  advanced  against  the  enemy.  He  made 
a  determined  assault  on  their  fort,  but  was 
repulsed  with  the  loss  of  one  hundred  men, 
which  so  discouraged  him  that  he  dismissed 
the  Choctaws  with  presents,  threw  his  cannon 
into  the  Tombigbee,  re-embarked  in  his  boats, 
140 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

floated  down  the  river  to  Mobile,  and  from 
there  returned  to  New  Orleans. 

"He  had  expected  to  have  the  co-operation 
of  a  force  of  French  and  Indians  from  Can 
ada,  commanded  by  D'Artaguette,  the  pride 
and  flower  of  the  French  at  the  North,  and 
some  Indians  from  Canada,  assisted  by  the 
Illinois  chief  Chicago,  from  the  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan.  All  these  came  down  the  river 
unobserved  to  the  last  Chickasaw  bluff.  From 
there  they  penetrated  into  the  heart  of  the 
country.  They  encamped  near  the  appointed 
place  of  rendezvous  with  the  force  of  Bien- 
ville,  and  there  waited  for  some  time  for  in 
telligence  from  him.  It  did  not  come,  and 
the  Indian  allies  of  D'Artaguette  became  so 
impatient  for  war  and  plunder  that  they 
could  not  be  restrained,  and  at  length  he 
(D'Artaguette)  consented  to  lead  them  to  the 
attack.  He  drove  the  Chickasaws  from  two 
of  their  fortified  villages,  but  was  severely 
wounded  in  his  attack  on  the  third.  Then 
the  Indians  fled  precipitately,  leaving  their 
141 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

wounded  commander  weltering  in  his  blood. 
Vincennes,  his  lieutenant,  and  their  spiritual 
guide  and  friend,  the  Jesuit  Senate,  refused 
to  fly,  and  shared  the  captivity  of  their  gal 
lant  leader." 

"And  did  the  Indians  kill  them,  papa?" 
asked  Ned. 

"No,  not  then;  hoping  to  receive  a  great 
ransom  for  them  from  Bienville,  who  was 
then  advancing  into  their  country,  they 
treated  them  with  great  care  and  attention; 
but  when  he  retreated  they  gave  up  the  hope 
of  getting  anything  for  their  prisoners,  there 
fore  put  them  to  a  horrible  death,  burning 
them  over  a  slow  fire,  leaving  only  one  alive 
to  tell  of  the  dreadful  fate  to  their  country 
men." 

"Oh,  how  dreadful!"  sighed  Elsie  Eay- 
mond.  "I'm  thankful  we  did  not  live  in  those 
times  and  places." 

"Yes,  so  am  I,"  said  her  father.    "God  Has 

been  very  good  to  us  to  give  us  our  lives  in 

this  good  land,  and  these  good  times.    It  is 

142 


ELSIE   rAND   HER   NAMESAKES 

years  now  since  the  Indians  were  driven  out 
of  Alabama  and  Mississippi.  They  and 
Florida  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  English 
in  1763.  In  1783  the  country  north  of  the 
thirty-first  parallel  was  included  within  the 
limits  of  the  United  States.  According  to  the 
charter  of  Georgia,  its  territory  extended 
to  the  Mississippi,  but  in  1795  the  legislature 
of  that  State  sold  to  the  general  government 
that  part  which  now  constitutes  the  States  of 
Alabama  and  Mississippi.  In  1798  the 
Territory  of  Mississippi  was  organized,  and 
on  the  10th  of  December,  1817,  it  was  ad 
mitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State.  On  the 
9th  of  January,  1861,  the  State  seceded  from 
the  Union  and  joined  the  Southern  Confed 
eracy.  And  some  dreadful  battles  were 
fought  there  in  our  Civil  War — those  of  luka 
and  Corinth,  Jackson,  Champion  Hills  and 
other  places.  That  war  caused  an  immense 
destruction  of  property.  The  State  was  sub 
ject  to  military  rule  until  the  close  of  the 
year  1869,  when  it  was  readmitted  into  the 
"Union."  143 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

The  captain  paused,  seeming  to  consider  his 
story  of  the  settlement  of  the  State  of  Missis 
sippi  completed;  but  Grandma  Elsie  pres 
ently  asked:  "Isn't  there  something  more  of 
interest  in  the  story  of  the  Natchez  which 
you  could  tell  us,  captain  ?" 

"Perhaps  so,  mother,"  he  replied.  "It  was 
a  remarkable  tribe,  more  civilized  than  any 
other  of  the  original  inhabitants  of  these 
States.  Their  religion  was  something  like 
that  of  the  fire-worshippers  of  Persia.  They 
called  their  chiefs  'suns'  and  their  .king  the 
'Great  Sun.'  A  perpetual  fire  was  kept  burn 
ing  by  the  ministering  priest  in  the  principal 
temple,  and  he  also  offered  sacrifices  of  the 
first  fruits  of  the  chase ;  and  in  extreme  cases, 
when  they  deemed  their  deity  angry  with 
them,  they  offered  sacrifices  of  their  infant 
children  to  appease  his  wrath.  When  Iber- 
ville  was  there,  one  of  the  temples  was  struck 
by  lightning  and  set  on  fire.  The  keeper  of 
the  fane  begged  the  squaws  to  throw  their 
little  ones  into  the  fire  to  appease  the  angry 
144 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

god,  and  four  little  ones  were  so  sacrificed 
before  the  French  could  persuade  them  to  de 
sist  from  the  horrid  rite.  The  'Great  Sun/ 
as  they  called  their  king,  had  given  Iberville 
a  hearty  welcome  to  his  dominions,  paying 
him  a  visit  in  person.  He  was  borne  to  Iber- 
ville's  quarters  on  the  shoulders  of  some  of 
his  men,  and  attended  by  a  great  retinue  of 
his  people.  A  treaty  of  friendship  was  made, 
and  the  French  given  permission  to  build  a 
fort  and  establish  a  trading-post  among  the 
Indians — things  that,  however,  were  not  done 
for  many  years.  A  few  stragglers  at  that 
time  took  up  their  abode  among  the  Natchez, 
but  it  was  not  until  1716  that  any  regular 
settlement  was  made ;  then  Fort  Rosalie  was 
erected  at  that  spot  on  the  bank  of  the  Missis 
sippi  where  the  city  of  Natchez  now  stands. 

"Well,  as  I  have  told  you,  Grand  or  Great 
Sun,  the  chief  of  the  Natchez,  was  at  first  the 
friend  of  the  whites;  but  one  man,  by  his 
overbearing  behavior,  brought  destruction  on 
the  whole  colony.  The  home  of  the  Great 
145 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Sun  was  a  beautiful  village  called  the  White 
Apple.  It  was  spread  over  a  space  of  nearly 
three  miles,  and  stood  about  twelve  miles 
south  of  the  fort,  near  the  mouth  of  Second 
Creek,  and  three  miles  east  of  the  Mississippi. 
M.  D.  Chopart,  the  commandant  of  the  fort, 
was  so  cruel  and  overbearing,  so  unjust  to  the 
Indians,  that  he  commanded  the  Great  Sun 
to  leave  the  village  of  his  ancestors  because 
he,  M.  D.  Chopart,  wanted  the  grounds  for 
his  own  purposes.  Of  course  the  Great  Sun 
was  not  willing,  but  Chopart  was  deaf  to  all 
his  entreaties,  which  led  the  Natchez  to  form 
a  plot  to  rid  their  country  of  these  oppressors. 
"Before  the  attempt  to  carry  it  out,  a  young 
Indian  girl,  who  loved  the  Sieur  de  Mace, 
ensign  of  the  garrison,  told  him  with  tears 
that  her  nation  intended  to  massacre  the 
French.  He  was  astonished,  and  questioned 
her  closely.  She  gave  him  simple  answers, 
shedding  tears  as  she  spoke,  and  he  was  con 
vinced  that  she  was  telling  him  only  the  truth. 
So  he  at  once  repeated  it  to  Chopart,  but  he 
146 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

immediately  had  the  young  man  arrested  for 
giving  a  false  alarm. 

"But  the  fatal  day  came — November  29, 
1729.  Early  in  the  morning  Great  Sun,  with 
a  few  chosen  warriors,  all  well  armed  with 
knives  and  other  concealed  weapons,  went  to 
Fort  Rosalie.  Only  a  short  time  before  the 
company  had  sent  up  a  large  supply  of  powder 
and  lead,  also  provisions  for  the  fort.  The 
Indians  had  brought  corn  and  poultry  to 
barter  for  ammunition,  saying  they  wanted  it 
for  a  great  hunt  they  were  preparing  for,  and 
the  garrison,  believing  their  story,  were 
thrown  off  their  guard,  and  allowed  a  number 
of  the  Indians  to  come  into  their  fort,  while 
others  were  distributed  about  the  company's 
warehouse.  Then,  after  a  little,  the  Great 
Sun  gave  a  signal,  and  the  Indians  at  once 
drew  out  their  weapons  and  began  a  furious 
massacre  of  the  garrison  and  all  who  were 
in  or  near  the  warehouse.  And  the  same 
bloody  work  was  carried  on  in  the  houses  of 
the  settlers  outside  of  the  fort. 

147. 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"It  was  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  the 
dreadful  slaughter  began,  and  before  noon 
the  whole  male  population  of  that  French 
colony — seven  hundred  souls — were  sleeping 
the  sleep  of  death.  The  women  and  children 
were  kept  as  prisoners,  and  the  slaves  that 
they  might  be  of  use  as  servants.  Also  two 
mechanics,  a  tailor  and  a  carpenter,  were  per 
mitted  to  live,  that  they  might  be  of  use  to 
their  captors.  Chopart  was  one  of  the  first 
killed — by  a  common  Indian,  as  the  chiefs 
so  despised  him  that  they  disdained  to  soil 
their  hands  with  his  blood. 

"The  Great  Sun  sat  in  the  company's  ware- 
house  while  the  massacre  was  going  on,  smok 
ing  his  pipe  unconcernedly  while  his  warriors 
were  piling  up  the  heads  of  the  murdered 
Frenchmen  in  a  pyramid  at  his  feet,  Cho- 
part's  head  at  its  top,  above  all  those  of  his 
officers  and  soldiers.  As  soon  as  the  Great 
Sun  had  been  told  by  his  Indians  that  all  the 
Frenchmen  were  dead,  he  bade  them  begin 
their  pillage.  They  then  made  the  negro 
148 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

slaves  bring  out  the  plunder  for  distribution, 
except  the  powder  and  military  stores,  which 
were  kept  for  public  use  in  future  emer 
gencies." 

"And  did  they  bury  all  those  seven  hundred 
folks  that  they  killed,  papa  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"No,"  replied  his  father;  "they  left  them 
lying  strewed  about  in  every  place  where  they 
had  struck  them  down  to  death,  dancing  over 
their  mangled  bodies  with  horrid  yells  in  their 
drunken  revelry;  then  they  left  them  there 
unburied,  a  prey  for  hungry  dogs  and  vul 
tures.  And  all  the  dwellings  in  all  the  settle 
ments  they  burned  to  ashes." 

"Didn't  anybody  at  all  get  away  from  them, 
uncle?"  asked  Alie  Leland. 

"Nobody  who  was  in  the  buildings  at  the 
time  of  the  massacre,"  replied  the  captain; 
"but  two  soldiers  who  happened  to  be  then  in 
the  woods  escaped  and  carried  the  dreadful 
tidings  to  New  Orleans." 

"I'm  glad  they  didn't  go  back  to  the  fort  and 
get  caught  by  those  savage  Indiana,"  said 
149 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

Elsie  Dinsmore.  "But  how  did  they  know 
that  the  Indians  were  there  and  doing  sucK 
dreadful  deeds?" 

"By  hearing  the  deafening  yells  of  the 
savages  and  seeing  the  smoke  going  up  from 
the  burning  buildings.  Those  things  told 
them  what  was  going  on,  and  they  hid  them 
selves  until  they  could  get  a  boat  or  canoe  in 
which  to  go  down  the  river  to  New  Orleans, 
which  they  reached  in  a  few  days ;  and  there, 
as  I  have  said,  they  told  the  sad  story  of  the 
awful  happening  at  the  colony  on  the  St. 
Catherine." 

"Were  there  any  otter  colonies  that  the 
Indians  destroyed  in  that  part  of  our  country, 
papa  ?"  asked  his  daughter  Elsie. 

"Yes ;  one  on  the  Yazoo,  near  Eort  St.  Peter, 
and  those  on  the  Washita,  at  Sicily  Island, 
and  near  the  present  town  of  Monroe.  It  was 
a  sad  time  for  every  settlement  in  the  prov 
ince." 

"When  the  news  of  this  terrible  disaster 
reached  New  Orleans,  the  Erench  began  a 
150 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

war  of  extermination  against  the  Natchez. 
They  drove  them  across  the  Mississippi,  and 
finally  scattered  and  extirpated  them.  The 
Great  Sun  and  his  principal  war  chiefs  were 
taken,  shipped  to  St.  Domingo  and  sold  as 
slaves.  Some  of  the  poor  wretches  were 
treated  with  barbaric  cruelty — four  of  the 
men  and  two  of  the  women  were  publicly 
burned  to  death  at  New  Orleans.  Some 
Tonica  Indians  brought  down  a  Natchez 
woman,  whom  they  had  found  in  the  woods, 
and  were  allowed  to  burn  her  to  death  on  a 
platform  erected  near  the  levee,  the  whole 
population  looking  on  while  she  was  con 
sumed  by  the  flames.  She  bore  all  that 
torture  with  wonderful  fortitude,  not 
shedding  a  tear,  but  upbraiding  her  tor 
turers  with  their  want  of  skill,  flinging  at 
them  every  opprobrious  epithet  she  could 
think  of." 

"How  very  brave  and  stoical  she  must  have 
been,  poor  thing!"  remarked  Grace.     "But, 
papa,  have  not  the  Natchez  always  been  eon- 
151 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

sidered   superior  to  other  tribes   in  refine 
ment,  intelligence  and  bravery  ?" 

"Yes,"  he  replied ;  "it  is  said  that  no  other 
tribe  has  left  so  proud  a  memorial  of  their 
courage,  independent  spirit  and  contempt  of 
death  in  defence  of  their  rights  and  liberties. 
The  scattered  remnants  of  the  tribe  sought 
an  asylum  among  the  Chickasaws  and  other 
tribes  who  were  hostile  to  the  French;  but 
since  that  time  the  individuality  of  the  Nat 
chez  tribe  has  been  swallowed  up  among 
others  with  whom  they  were  incorporated.  In 
refinement  and  intelligence  they  were  equal, 
if  not  superior,  to  any  other  tribe  north  of 
Mexico.  In  courage  and  stratagem  they  were 
inferior  to  none.  Their  form  was  noble  and 
commanding,  their  persons  were  straight  and 
athletic,  their  stature  seldom  under  six  feet. 
Their  countenances  indicated  more  intelli 
gence  than  is  commonly  found  in  savages. 
Some  few  individuals  of  the  Natchez  tribe 
were  to  be  found  in  the  town  of  Natchez  as 
late  as  the  year  1782,  more  than  half  a  cen 
tury  after  the  Natchez  massacre." 
152 


CHAPTEK  XI 

"WELL,  well,  well!  I  should  think  you 
youngsters  might  be  ashamed  to  keep  that 
poor  captain  talking  and  telling  stories  so 
long,  just  for  your  amusement,"  remarked  a 
strange  voice,  coming  apparently  from  the 
half  open  doorway  of  a  nearby  stateroom. 
"Can't  you  let  him  have  a  little  rest  now?" 

"Of  course,"  replied  Ned.  "He  tells  splen 
did  stories,  and  we  like  to  listen  to  them ;  but 
we  don't  want  him  to  go  on  if  he  feels  tired, 
for  he  is  our  own  dear,  kind,  good  papa, 
whom  we  love  ever  so  much." 

"Huh !"  returned  the  voice ;  "actions  speak 
louder  than  words.  So  don't  coax  for  any 
more  stories  now.  Have  a  good  game  of 
romps  instead." 

"The  rest  can  do  that,"  said  Ned ;  "but  uncle 
doctor  wouldn't  be  likely  to  let  me  romp  very 
much." 

153 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"And  you  think  you  have  to  obey  him,  do 
you?" 

"Of  course,  if  I  want  him  to  cure  me ;  and 
I'm  very  sure  you  would  think  me  a  naughty 
boy  if  I  didn't." 

"If  you  didn't  want  to  be  cured^' 

"No ;  if  I  didn't  mind  my  uncle  doctor." 

"I  thought  he  was  your  brother;  he's 
married  to  your  sister,  isn't  he  ?" 

"Yes,"  laughed  Ned ;  "and  that  makes  him 
my  brother;  but  he's  my  mother's  own 
brother,  and  that  makes  him  my  uncle.  So 
he's  both  uncle  and  brother,  and  that  makes 
him  a  very  near  relation  indeed." 

"So  it  does,  my  little  fellow,  and  you  would 
better  mind  all  he  says,  even  if  he  is  a  young 
doctor  that  doesn't  know  quite  all  the  old 
doctors  do." 

"He  knows  a  great  deal,"  cried  Ned  indig 
nantly  ;  "lots  more,  I  guess,  than  some  of  the 
other  doctors  that  think  they  are  very  smart 
and  know  everything." 

"Well,  you  needn't  get  mad  about  it,"  re- 
154 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

turned  the  voice.  "I  like  Dr.  Harold  Tra- 
villa,  and  when  I  get  sick  I  expect  to  send 
for  him." 

"But  who  are  you?"  asked  Ned.  "Why 
don't  you  come  out  of  that  stateroom  and 
show  yourself?" 

"Perhaps  I  might  if  I  got  a  polite  invita 
tion,"  replied  the  voice. 

Ned  was  silent  for  a  moment,  first  looking 
steadily  toward  the  door  from  which  the 
voice  had  seemed  to  come,  then  turning  a 
scrutinizing,  questioning  gaze  upon  Cousin 
Ronald. 

The  others  in  the  room  were  all  watching 
the  two  and  listening  as  if  much  entertained 
by  the  talk  between  them. 

"I  just  know  it's  you,  Cousin  Ronald, 
making  fun  for  us  all,"  the  little  boy  re 
marked  at  length;  "and  that's  very  kind  in 
you,  for  fun  is  right  good  for  folks,  isn't  it, 
Uncle  Harold?" 

"Yes,  I  think  so,"  replied  the  doctor; 
"  'laugh  and  grow  fat'  is  an  old  saying.  So  I 
165 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

hope  the  fun  will  prove  beneficial  to  my 
young  patient." 

"I  hope  so,"  said  the  captain,  and  now  sup 
pose  you  young  folks  rest  yourselves  with 
some  sort  of  games." 

"I  think  we  would  all  better  wrap  up  and 
try  a  little  exercise  upon  the  deck  first,  and 
after  that  have  some  games,"  said  Harold, 
and  everybody  promptly  followed  his  advice. 

When  they  had  had  their  exercise  and 
played  a  few  games,  dinner  was  served.  After 
that  they  again  gathered  in  the  saloon,  and 
presently  the  young  folks  aaked  for  another 
of  the  captain's  interesting  stories  of  the 
States. 

"Well,  my  dears,  about  which  State  do  you 
wish  to  hear  now  ?"  he  asked. 

"I  believe  we  all  want  Louisiana,  papa," 
replied  his  daughter  Elsie.  "We  know  the 
story  of  the  battle  of  ~New  Orleans  under 
General  Jackson — that  grand  victory — and 
pretty  much  all  that  went  on  in  the  time  of 
the  Civil  War,  I  believe ;  but  I  don't  remem- 
156 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

ber  that  you  have  ever  given  us  any  of  the 
early  history  of  that  State." 

"Well,  I  shall  try  to  do  so  now,"  her  father 
said  in  reply,  and  after  a  moment's  silent 
thought  he  began. 

"Louisiana  is  the  central  Gulf  State  of  the 
United  States,  and  has  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
for  its  southern  boundary;  the  Sabine  River 
and  Texas  form  the  western  boundary,  and 
on  the  east  is  the  Mississippi  River,  sepa 
rating  it  from  the  State  of  that  name,  which 
is  the  northern  boundary  of  that  part  of 
Louisiana  east  of  the  river.  The  part  west 
of  that  river  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Arkansas. 

"That  part  of  what  is  now  our  country  was 
not  taken  by  the  whites  from  the  Indians  so 
early  as  the  more  northern  and  eastern  parts. 
History  tells  us  that  Robert  Cavalier  de  la 
Salle  descended  the  Mississippi  to  its  mouth 
in  April,  1682,  named  the  country  Louisi 
ana,  and  took  possession  of  it  in  the  name  of 
the  King  of  France.  In  1699  Iberville  tried 
157 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

to  form  a  settlement  along  the  lower  part  of 
thie  river,  but  succeeded  only  in  forming  the 
Colony  of  Biloxi,  in  what  is  now  the  State  of 
Mississippi.  In  1712,  Louis^IV.  of  France 
named  the  region  for  himself,  and  granted  it 
to  a  wealthy  capitalist  named  Antony  Crozat, 
giving  him  exclusive  trading  rights  in  Louisi 
ana  for  ten  years.  In  about  half  that  time 
Crozat  gave  back  the  grant  to  the  King,  com 
plaining  that  he  had  not  been  properly  sup 
ported  by  the  authorities,  and  had  suffered 
such  losses  in  trying  to  settle  the  province  as 
almost  to  ruin  him. 

"In  the  same  year  a  man  named  John  Law 
got  the  King  to  give  him  a  charter  for  a  bank 
and  for  a  Mississippi  company,  and  to  grant 
the  province  to  them.  "For  a  time  he  carried 
out  his  scheme  so  successfully  that  the  stock 
of  the  bank  went  up  to  six  hundred  times  its 
par  value ;  but  it  finally  exploded  and  ruined 
every  one  concerned  in  it. 

"It  had,  however,  accomplished  the  settle 
ment  of  New  Orleans.    In  1760  a  war  was 
158 


EL'SIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

begun  between  England  and  France,  in  which 
the  former  took  Canada  from  the  latter. 
Then  a  good  many  Canadians  emigrated  to 
Louisiana,  and  settled  in  that  part  of  it  west 
of  the  Mississippi.  In  1762  France  ceded 
her  possessions  in  Louisiana  west  of  the 
Mississippi  to  Spain,  and  the  country  east 
of  that  river  to  England.  New  Orleans  was 
soon  taken  possession  of  by  the  Spanish  au 
thorities,  who  proved  themselves  so  cruel  and 
oppressive  that  the  French  settlers  were  filled 
with  dismay.  The  Spaniards  still  held  that 
province  at  the  time  of  the  American  Revo 
lution,  and  near  the  close  of  that  war  the 
Spanish  governor  of  New  Orleans  captured 
the  British  garrison  at  Baton  Rouge." 

"I  suppose  that  was  hardly  because  he 
wanted  to  help  us,"  laughed  Elsie  Dinsmore. 

"No,"  smiled  the  captain;  "I  rather  think 
he  wanted  to  help  himself.  The  navigation 
of  the  Mississippi  River  was  opened  to  all 
nations  by  the  treaty  of  1783,  but  the  New 
Orleans  Spaniards  completely  neutralized  it 
159 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

by  seizing  all  merchandise  brought  to  that 
city  in  any  but  Spanish  sh^ps.  In  1800  Spain 
ceded  Louisiana  back  to  France,  but  it  suited 
Napoleon,  then  emperor  of  that  country,  to 
keep  the  transfer  a  secret  until  1803,  when  he 
sent  out  Laussat  as  prefect  of  the  colony,  who 
informed  the  people  that  they  were  given 
back  to  France,  which  news  filled  them  with 
joy. 

"Jefferson  was  then  our  President,  and  on 
learning  these  facts,  he  directed  Robert  Liv 
ingston,  the  American  Minister  at  Paris,  to 
insist  upon  the  free  navigation  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  and  to  negotiate  for  the  acquisition  of 
New  Orleans  itself  and  the  surrounding  terri 
tory.  Mr.  Monroe  was  appointed  with  full 
powers  to  assist  him  in  the  negotiation. 

"Bonaparte  acted  promptly.  He  saw  that 
the  English  wanted  Louisiana  and  the  Missis 
sippi  River,  and  was  determined  that  they 
should  not  have  them.  They  had  twenty 
vessels  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  he  saw 
that  they  might  easily  take  Louisiana,  and 
160 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

to  deprive  them  of  all  prospect  of  that,  he 
was  inclined  to  cede  it  to  the  United  States. 
He  (Bonaparte)  speedily  decided  to  sell  to 
the  United  States  not  New  Orleans  only,  but 
the  whole  of  Louisiana,  and  did  so.  On  the 
30th  of  April,  1803,  the  treaty  was  signed. 
Our  country  was  to  pay  $15,000,000  for  the 
colony,  be  indemnified  for  some  illegal  cap 
tures,  and  the  vessels  of  France  and  Spain, 
with  their  merchandise,  were  to  be  admitted 
into  all  the  ports  of  Louisiana  free  of  duty 
for  twelve  years.  Bonaparte  stipulated  in 
favor  of  Louisiana  that  as  soon  as  possible  it 
should  be  incorporated  into  the  Union  and  its 
inhabitants  enjoy  the  same  rights,  privileges 
and  immunities  as  other  citizens  of  the 
United  States;  and  the  third  article  of  the 
treaty,  securing  these  benefits  to  them,  was 
drawn  up  by  Bonaparte  himself  and  pre* 
sented  to  the  plenipotentiaries  with  the  re 
quest  that  they  would  make  it  .known  to  the 
people  of  Louisiana  that  the  French  regretted 
to  part  with  them,  and  had  stipulated  for  all 
161 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

• 

the  advantages  they  could  desire;  and  that 
in  giving  them  up  France  had  secured  them 
the  greatest  of  all ;  for  in  becoming  indepen 
dent  they  would  prosper  as  they  never  could 
have  done  under  any  European  government. 
But  he  bade  them,  while  enjoying  the  priv 
ileges  of  liberty,  ever  to  remember  that  they 
were  French,  and  preserve  for  their  mother 
country  the  affection  which  a  common  origin 
inspires. 

"This  was  a  most  important  transaction,  and 
its  completion  gave  equal  satisfaction  to  both 
parties.  Livingston  said,  'I  consider  that 
from  this  day  the  United  States  takes  rank 
with  the  first  powers  of  Europe,  and  she  is 
entirely  escaped  from  the  power  of  England ;' 
and  Bonaparte  said,  'By  this  cession  of  terri 
tory  I  have  secured  the  power  of  the  United 
States,  and  given  to  England  a  maritime 
rival  who  at  some  future  time  will  humble 
her  pride.' 

"And  that  seems  like  a  prophecy  which  came 
true,  when  one  thinks  of  Jackson's  victory  on 
162 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

» 

the  8th  of  January,  1815,"  remarked  Grand 
ma  Elsie. 

"Yes,"  assented  the  captain;  "that  was  a 
signal  overthrow  to  British  troops  on  the 
plains  of  Louisiana." 

"Yes ;  I  remember  that  was  a  great  victory 
for  our  United  States  troops,"  said  Elsie 
Dinsmore.  "But  who  of  our  folks  took  pos 
session  now  that  it  was  bought  from  the 
French,  and  just  when  did  they  do  it  ?" 

"It  was  on  the  20th  of  December  of  that 
same  year,"  replied  the  captain,  "that  Gen 
eral  Wilkinson  and  Governor  Claiborne,  who 
were  jointly  commissioned  to  take  possession 
of  the  country  for  the  United  States,  entered 
!NVw  Orleans  at  the  head  of  the  American 
troops.  The  French  governor  gave  up  his 
command,  and  the  tri-colored  flag  of  France 
gave  place  to  the  star-spangled  banner." 

"Oh,  that  was  good,"  said  Elsie  Dinsmore; 
"and  was  Louisiana  made  a  State  at  once, 
captain  ?" 

"'No"  he  replied;  "it  was  erected  into  a 
163 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Territory  by  Congress  in  1804.  In  1810  the 
Spanish  post  at  Baton  Rouge  was  seized  by 
the  United  States  forces  under  General  Wil 
kinson  and  the  territory  connected  with  it 
added  to  Louisiana,  which  in  1812  was  ad 
mitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State." 

"But,  papa,  was  what  is  now  the  State  of 
Louisiana  all  we  bought  from  France  by  that 
treaty  of  1803  ?"  asked  Grace. 

"No,  by  no  means,"  replied  the  captain. 
"The  territory  purchased  by  that  treaty  is 
now  occupied  by  the  States  of  Louisiana, 
Arkansas,  Missouri,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Kan 
sas,  Nebraska,  Oregon,  Dakota,  Colorado, 
Utah,  Wyoming,  Montana,  Idaho  and  Wash 
ington." 

"My,  what  a  big  purchase  it  was!"  cried 
Ned.  "But  how  did  France  get  so  much?" 

"No  doubt  she  just  helped  herself,"  laughed 
his  sister.  "The  State  went  out  of  the  Union 
in  the  time  of  the  Civil  War,  didn't  it,  papa  ?" 

"Yes ;  on  the  26th  of  January,  1861,  but  was 
readmitted  into  tne  Union  on  the  25th  of 
June,  1868."  164 


CHAPTER  XH 

"THESE  stories  of  the  States  have  been  very 
interesting  to  me,  captain,"  remarked  Mr. 
Lilburn,  breaking  a  little  pause  which  had 
followed  the  conclusion  of  the  brief  sketch 
just  given  of  the  early  history  of  Louisiana. 

"I  feel  flattered  that  my  crude  efforts  in  that 
line  should  be  so  highly  appreciated,"  re 
turned  the  captain,  with  a  gratified  smile  as 
he  spoke,  then  added,  "And  now,  if  you  feel 
like  making  a  return  in  kind,  Cousin  Ronald, 
suppose  you  give  us  a  page  or  two  of  Scottish 
history,  than  which  I  think  there  is  hardly 
anything  more  interesting." 

"I  acknowledge  that  it  is  very  interesting 
to  me,  a  native  of  that  land,  though  now  feel 
ing  myself  a  full-fledged  American,  but  how 
is  it  with  these  younger  folk  ?"  returned  Mr. 
Lilburn,  glancing  inquiringly  around  upon 
the  ladies  and  children. 
165 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

It  was  Grandma  Elsie  who  answered  in 
tones  of  pleased  anticipation,  "Indeed, 
cousin,  I  should  be  delighted;  for  to  me  the 
history  of  that  grandfather  land  of  mine  is 
only  secondary  in  interest  to  that  of  this,  my 
dear  native  land,  largely  peopled  by  the 
descendants  of  those  who  struggled  so 
bravely  for  civil  and  religious  liberty  in 
Scotland." 

"Ah,  cousin  mine,  I  am  glad  to  ken  that  you 
care  for  that  auld  fatherland  o'  yours  and 
mine,"  returned  the  old  gentleman,  smiling 
affectionately  upon  her.  "There  are  many 
passages  in  her  history  that  are  interesting 
and  heart  stirring  to  the  pride  and  love  of 
the  descendants  of  the  actors  in  the  same. 
But  to  what  particular  passages  in  her  his 
tory  shall  I  call  your  attention  now  ?" 

The  query  seemed  addressed  to  all  present, 
and  Elsie  Dinsmore  answered  quickly  and 
earnestly,  "Oh,  tell  us  all  you  can  about  that 
beautiful,  unfortunate  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots. 
I  suppose  you  must  have  seen  all  the  palaces 
166 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

and  castles  she  ever  lived  in  there  in  Scot 
land?" 

"Yes,  my  bonny  bairn,  I  have,  and  regard 
them  with  great  interest  because  of  her  one 
time  occupation  of  them.  Linlithgow  Castle 
is  now  only  a  picturesque  old  ruin,  yet  one 
may  stand  in  the  very  room,  now  roofless, 
to  be  sure,  where  Queen  Mary  was  born.  The 
walls  of  that  castle  were  very  thick  and 
strong,  but  not  then  deemed  strong  enough 
to  protect  the  royal  infant,  born  on  the  7th  of 
December,  1542.  There  was  rejoicing  at  her 
birth,  but  it  would  have  been  greater  had  she 
been  a  lad  instead  of  a  lass.  Her  father,  then 
on  his  deathbed,  exclaimed  when  he  heard 
the  news,  'Woe  to  the  crown  of  Scotland ;  it 
came  with  a  lass  and  it  will  go  with  a  lass.' 

"Her  sex  was  a  disappointment  to  Scottish 
hearts,  yet  still  they  loved  her,  and  would  do 
all  in  their  power  to  protect  and  defend  her, 
especially  from  the  English  King,  Henry 
VIII.,  with  whom  they  were  then  at  war, 
and  who  was  doing  all  in  his  power  to  get 
167i 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

possession  of  the  little  princess,  purposing  in 
time  to  marry  her  to  his  son,  and  so  unite  the 
two  kingdoms  under  one  crown." 

"Why,  that  would  have  been  a  fine  way  to 
put  a  stop  to  the  fighting  between  the  two 
kingdoms,  I  should  think,"  said  Elsie  Dins- 
more. 

"Perhaps,  if  he  had  offered  good  terms,  but 
those  he  did  offer  were  so  harsh  that  Scot 
land's  Parliament  rejected  them,  and  for 
greater  security  both  Mary  and  her  mother 
were  taken  from  Linlithgow  to  Stirling 
Castle,  a  grand  fortress  atop  of  a  lofty  hill 
above  the  beautiful  valley  of  Monteith.  It 
seemed  a  safe  place  for  the  bonny  baby  queen, 
but  some  wicked,  treacherous  men  formed  a 
plot  to  carry  her  off  to  England ;  but  it  failed 
because  her  guardians  were  so  very  cautious 
as  never  to  admit  more  than  one  person  at  a 
time  to  see  her. 

"So  many  dangers  threatening  her,  it  was 

thought  best  to  crown  her  queen  as  soon  as 

possible,  and  when  she  was  nine  months  old 

168 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

she  was  one  Sunday  morning  taken  from  her 
nursery  to  the  chapel  of  the  castle.  There  one 
of  her  nobles  held  her  on  the  throne  and  spoke 
for  her  the  words  she  should  have  spoken  had 
she  been  old  enough.  Then  the  Cardinal  held 
the  crown  over  her  head,  and  for  a  moment 
clasped  her  tiny  fingers  about  the  scepter,  and 
buckled  the  sword  of  state  around  her  waist. 
Then  every  peer  and  prelate  present,  one 
after  another,  knelt  before  her,  held  his  right 
hand  above  her  baby  head,  and  swore  to  de 
fend  her  with  his  life.  But  alas,  alas!  few 
o'  them  proved  faithful  to  their  oath. 

"A  strange  life  lay  before  that  little  babe. 
She  was  perhaps  six  years  of  age  when  taken 
to  France  as  a  safer  place  for  her  than  Scot 
land.  She  was  married  early  in  life  to  the 
young  King  Francis  II.,  but  in  seventeen 
months  his  death  made  her  a  widow.  She  left 
France  for  her  own  land,  and  arrived  at  Leith 
in  August,  1561,  doubtless  little  dreaming 
the  sad  fate  in  store  for  her  in  the  British 
Isles,"  sighed  the  kind-hearted  old  gentleman, 
169 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

then  for  a  moment  he  seemed  lost  in 
thought. 

"Can  you  tell  us  in  what  town  and  castle 
she  made  her  home  ?"  asked  Elsie  Dinsmore. 

"Holyrood  Castle  in  Edinburgh,"  replied 
Mr.  Lilburn.  "It  was  in  the  chapel  of  that 
Castle  she  was  married  to  her  cousin, 
Henry  Stuart,  Lord  Darnley,  in  July,  1565. 
She  was  then  about  twenty-three  years  of 
age." 

"Did  she  love  him,  Cousin  Ronald  ?"  asked 
Elsie  Raymond. 

"No  doubt  of  it,  lassie,  for  she  had  plenty  of 
other  offers ;  it  really  seemed  as  though  every 
royal  bachelor  and  widower  wanted  her  for  a 
wife.  And  small  wonder,  for  she  was  very 
sweet  and  beautiful. 

"She  called  Darnley  the  handsomest  man 
she  had  ever  seen;  doubtless  it  was  his  good 
looks  she  fell  in  love  with,  but  a  few  weeks 
of  wifehood  with  him  showed  her  that  his 
character  was  far  less  admirable  than  his 
looks;  He  was  vain,  selfish,  ungrateful,  took 

1TO 


ELSIE   AND   HER  NAMESAKES 

all  her  favors  as  a  matter  of  course  and  asked 
for  more.  Soon  after  their  marriage  the 
English  ambassador  wrote  of  them,  'The 
Queen  doth  everything  in  her  power  to  oblige 
Darnley,  but  Darnley  does  not  do  the  least 
thing  to  oblige  her.'  She  had  a  few  weeks  of 
happiness  during  their  wedding  journey 
through  the  interior  of  Scotland,  but  soon 
after  that  Darnley  began  treating  her  with 
brutal  unkindness.  'At  a  public  banquet,  only 
four  months  after  their  marriage,  he  began  to 
drink  to  excess,  urging  his  guests  to  do  the 
same.  Queen  Mary  tried  quietly  to  check 
him,  but  he  turned  upon  her  with  such  vulgar 
violence  that  she  left  the  room  in  tears.  And 
he  was  so  insolent  to  the  Court  in  general 
that  he  was  soon  almost  universally  detested." 

"And  I  should  hardly  think  it  was  possible 
for  poor  Queen  Mary  to  go  on  loving  him," 
said  Elsie  Dinsmore. 

"Nor  should  I,"  said  Mr.  Lilburn ;  "for  cer 
tainly  he  was  very  different  from  what  she 
had  believed  him  to  be  when  she  married  hin«. 
171 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

And,  poor  lady,  she  greatly  needed  the  right 
sort  of  husband  to  protect  and  help  her,  for 
the  nobles  who  surrounded  her  were  treach 
erous,  unprincipled  men,  ready  to  commit  any 
crime  that  would  enable  them  to  govern  Scot 
land  to  suit  themselves,  by  making  the  sov 
ereign  a  mere  cipher  in  their  hands.  I 
presume  you  all  know  something  of  the  brutal 
murder  of  Rizzio  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  believe  we  do ;  but  please  tell  us 
the  whole  story  about  it,"  said  Elsie  Ray 
mond. 

"He  was  a  singer  in  the  chapel  of  Holyrood 
Castle,  had  a  voice  of  wonderful  power  and 
sweetness,  which  so  pleased  the  Queen  that 
she  made  him  leader  of  the  singing  in  her 
chapel  services.  He  was  a  homely  man,  but 
a  clever  linguist,  faithful  and  prudent,  and 
Queen  Mary  made  him  her  private  secretary. 
The  treacherous  lords  wanted  to  get  rid  of 
him  because  he  was  not  one  of  them,  yet  had 
so  great  influence  with  the  Queen;  they  de 
termined  to  murder  him,  and  that  on  the  pre- 
172 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

tence  that  the  Queen  was  so  fond  of  him  as 
to  make  Darnley  jealous.  It  was  all  a  pretence, 
just  to  trump  up  a  reason  for  murdering 
Rizzio. 

"One  evening  in  March,  1566,  Queen  Mary 
was  in  her  library  at  supper,  with  three 
friends  as  her  guests — a  lady,  a  gentleman 
and  Rizzio.  She  did  not  know  that  her  Lord 
Chancellor  Morton  had,  just  after  dusk,  led 
a  body  of  armed  men  into  the  courtyard  of 
this,  her  Holyrood  Castle.  Some  of  these 
men  had  hidden  themselves  in  Darnley's 
room,  just  underneath  these  apartments  of 
hers,  and  a  winding  staircase  led  up  from 
them.  Suddenly  Darnley,  who  had  come  up 
this  private  stairway,  entered  the  room,  sat 
down  in  a  vacant  chair  beside  her,  put  his 
arm  around  her  waist  and  gave  her  an  affec 
tionate  kiss. 

"It  was  a  Judas  kiss,  for  at  the  same  time 

the  murderers  whom  he  was  assisting  had 

stolen  softly  into  the  Queen's  bedroom,  and 

now  they  crowded  through  the  doorway  into 

173 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

her  presence.  She  was  alarmed,  and  at  once 
demanded  the  reason  for  their  intrusion. 

"They  said  they  meant  no  harm  to  her,  only 
to  the  villain  near  her. 

"Rizzio  understood,  and  said  to  her, 
'Madam,  I  am  lost !'  Tear  not,'  she  answered, 
'the  King  will  never  suffer  you  to  be  slain  ia 
my  presence,  nor  can  he  forget  your  many 
faithful  services.' 

"The  words  seemed  to  touch  Darnley's  heart 
and  make  him  unwilling  to  perform  his  part 
in  the  wicked  work,  and  Ruthven  ex 
claimed  fiercely,  'Sir,  look  to  your  wife  and 
sovereign.' 

''At  that  Darnley  forced  Mary  into  a  chair 
and  held  her  there  so  tightly  that  she  could 
not  rise,  while  one  of  the  ruffians  presented 
a  pistol  to  her  side  and  swore  a  horrible  oatK 
tHat  he  would  shoot  her  dead  if  she  resisted. 

"  Tire,'  she  replied,  'if  you  have  no  respect 
for  my  life,'  and  her  husband  pushed  away 
tHe  weapon. 

"But  now  others  of  the  murderous  crowd 

174 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

were  in  the  room,  lighting  it  up  with  the  glare 
of  torches,  and  Rizzio,  clinging  to  the  Queen's 
dress,  begged  piteously,  'Save  my  life, 
madam !  Save  my  life  for  God's  dear  sake !' 

"But  she  could  not.  The  assassins  rushed 
upon  him,  overturning  the  table  with  its  lights 
and  dishes.  Queen  Mary  fainted,  and  Rizzio 
was  dragged  out  into  a  narrow  passageway 
and  stabbed  again  and  again  until  his  shrieks 
were  hushed  in  death.  There  is  still  a  stain 
upon  Holyrood's  floor  said  to  have  been, 
caused  by  his  blood." 

"And  what  about  Queen  Mary?  Did  they 
hurt  her,  Cousin  Ronald  ?"  aaked  l^ed,  much 
interested  in  the  story. 

''"When  she  came  out  of  her  faint,  poor  lady ! 
those  lawless  nobles,  wicked  murderers,  told 
her  she  was  their  prisoner,  then  set  a  guard 
at  her  door,  and  left  her  to  spend  the  night 
in  anxiety,  horror  and  fear." 

"Oh,  how  wicked  and  cruel  they  were !"  ex 
claimed  Elsie  Raymond.     "I  hope  they  got 
punished  for  it  somehow!" 
1T5 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"It  looks  as  though  Darnley  did,"  said  Mr. 
Lilburn,  "for  in  a  little  less  than  a  year  after 
the  murder  of  Rizzio  he,  having  gone  with  a 
few  friends  to  a  private  house,  was  in  the 
night  blown  up  with  gunpowder;  and  only 
about  two  months  afterward  Queen  Mary 
married  the  Earl  of  Bothwell.  That  dis 
gusted  her  best  subjects,  so  that  they  made 
her  a  prisoner  and  forced  her  to  abdicate  in 
favor  of  her  son,  James  VI. 

"Queen  Mary  escaped  from  her  prison,  col' 
lected  a  large  army,  and  fought  for  the  re 
covery  of  her  crown  and  throne,  but  was  de 
feated,  then  fled  to  England.  But  Queen 
Elizabeth,  though  her  cousin,  was  very 
jealous  of  her,  kept  her  imprisoned  for  many 
years,  then  had  her  beheaded." 

"Had  she  any  right  to  do  that  ?"  asked  Elsie 
Dinsmore  in  indignant  tones. 

"No,"  replied  Mr.  Lilburn;  "none  but  the 

might  that  is  said  to  make  right.     Queen 

Mary  was  in  her  power,  with  none  to  defend 

her.    Queen  Mary,  when  on  trial,  said  to  het 

176 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

judges,  'I  am  a  Queen,  subject  to  none  but 
God.  Him  do  I  call  to  witness  that  I  am 
innocent  of  all  the  charges  brought  against 
me.  And  recollect,  my  lords,  the  theatre  of 
the  world  is  wider  than  the  realm  of  Eng 
land.'  " 

"And  did  they  kill  her,  Cousin  Konald?" 
asked  ISTed. 

"Yes;  they  beheaded  her  in  Fotheringay 
Castle.  It  is  said  that  every  one  was  im 
pressed  by  the  melancholy  sweetness  of  her 
face  and  the  remains  of  her  rare  beauty  as  she 
drew  near  the  spot  where  her  life  was  to  be 
ended.  Her  executioners  knelt  down  and 
asked  her  forgiveness  for  what  they  were 
about  to  do,  and  she  replied,  'I  forgive  you 
and  all  the  world  with  all  my  heart.'  Then 
turning  to  the  women  who  attended  her,  she 
said,  'Pray  do  not  weep.  Believe  me,  I  am 
happy  to  leave  the  world.  Tell  my  son  that 
I  thought  of  him  in  my  last  moments,  and 
that  I  sincerely  hope  his  life  may  be  happier 
than  mine.' 

177 


ELSIE   rAND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Then  there  was  a  dreadful  silence  as  she 
knelt  down  and  laid  her  head  upon  the  block. 
In  another  minute  the  chief  executioner  held 
it  up  in  his  hand,  saying,  'So  perish  all  the 
enemies  of  Queen  Elizabeth.' ' 

"What  a  shame !"  cried  ISTed.  "I  hope  the 
time  came  when  Queen  Elizabeth  had  to  have 
her  head  chopped  off." 

"No,"  replied  Mr.  Lilburn;  "but  hers  was 
not  a  happy  death.  She  seems  to  have  been 
almost  crazed  with  grief  and  remorse  over 
the  death  of  Essex,  threw  herself  on  the  floor, 
and  lay  there,  refusing  food  and  medicine  for 
several  days  and  nights,  till  death  came  to 
end  the  sorrowful  scene." 

"Then,  perhaps,  she  suffered  more  than 
'Queen  Mary  did  in  her  dying  time,  as  I 
certainly  think  she  deserved  to,"  said  Elsie 
Dinsmore. 

"Yes,  I  think  she  did,"  responded  Mr.  Lil- 

burn ;  "it  seems  very  possible  that  Her  cruel, 

unjust  treatment  of  her  cousin,  Queen  Mary, 

may  have  helped  to  burden  Her  conscience 

ITS 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

and  increase  her  remorse  till  she  felt  that  life 
was  a  burden  too  heavy  to  bear." 

"Do  you  think  she  really  wanted  to  die,  and 
was  courting  death,  Cousin  Konald?"  asked 
Grandma  Elsie. 

"Her  refusal  of  food  and  medicine  looks  like 
it,"  he  replied;  "yet  one  can  hardly  suppose 
that  death  would  be  anything  but  a  terror 
to  one  whose  character  was  so  far  from  Chris 
tian.  Her  public  conduct  was  worthy  of  the 
highest  encomium,  but  not  so  with  her 
private  life.  Yet  I  wadna  wish  to  sit  in 
judgment  on  her  at  this  late  day." 


If* 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  next  day  was  the  Sabbath,  the  weather 
clear  and  mild  enough  for  all,  passengers  and 
crew,  to  gather  upon  the  deck  for  a  short 
service  of  prayer,  singing  of  hymns  and  a 
sermon  read  by  the  captain.  After  that 
there  was  an  hour  of  Bible  study  in  the 
saloon,  Mr.  Lilburn  leading  by  request  of  the 
others. 

Turning  over  the  leaves  of  his  Bible,  "Sup 
pose  we  take  for  our  subject  the  Confessing 
of  Christ  before  Men,"  he  said.  "Here  in 
Romans  we  read,  'The  word  is  nigh  thee, 
even  in  thy  mouth,  and  in  thy  heart ;  that  is, 
the  word  of  faith  which  we  preach;  that  if 
thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  shalt  believe  in  thine  heart  that 
God  hath  raised  Him  from  the  dead,  thou 
shalt  be  saved.  For  with  the  heart  man  be- 
lieveth  unto  righteousness;  and  with  the 

180 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation. 
For  the  Scripture  saith,  Whosoever  believ- 
eth  on  Him  shall  not  be  ashamed.' 

"What  a  burning  desire  Paul  had  for  the 
salvation  of  souls.  He  said,  'Brethren,  my 
heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  for  Israel 
is  that  they  might  be  saved.'  And  if  we  are 
Christians  we  will  be  often  in  prayer  and 
often  making  effort  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 
Let  us  ask  ourselves  if  it  is  indeed  so  with  us. 
And  let  us  strive  to  make  it  so,  earnestly 
doing  all  in  our  power  to  win  souls  to  Christ, 
telling  them  of  the  great  love  wherewith  He 
has  loved  us,  bleeding  and  dying  that  we 
might  live;  and  that  all  we  have  to  do  is 
simply  to  come,  to  believe,  to  take  this  offered 
salvation.  'Whosoever  shall  call  upon  the 
name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved.'  We  have 
only  to  call  upon  His  name  with  real  desire 
for  His  help,  and  in  an  instant  He  is  with  us, 
offering  us  full  and  free  salvation,  purchased 
for  us  by  His  suffering  and  death,  so  that  we 
may  have  it  without  money  and  without  price. 
181 


'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Now,  friends,  please  read  in  turn  texts  bear 
ing  upon  this  great  subject." 

Then  Grandma  Elsie  read,  "  Tor  God  so 
loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  His  only  be 
gotten  Son  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life. 
For  God  sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to 
condemn  the  world,  but  that  the  world, 
through  Him,  might  be  saved.' ' 

Then  Grace,  "  'Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law 
for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  believ 
eth.'  " 

Then  the  captain,  "  'Knowing  that  a  man  is 
not  justified  by  the  works  of  the  law,  but  by 
the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  even  we  have  be 
lieved  in  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  might  be  justi 
fied  by  the  faith  of  Christ,  and  not  by  the 
works  of  the  law ;  for  by  the  law  shall  no  flesh 
be  justified.' " 

Then  Violet,  "  'By  grace  ye  are  saved 
through  faith' ;  and  that  not  of  yourselves ;  it 
is  the  gift  of  God,  not  of  works,  lest  any  man 
should  boast.' " 

182 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Harold  was  the  next,  "  'God  hath  not  ap 
pointed  us  to  wrath,  but  to  obtain  salvation 
by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,'  "  he  read,  and  that 
'closed  the  lesson,  the  younger  ones  seeming 
to  have  nothing  ready;  then  presently  came 
the  summons  to  the  dinner  table. 

"Aren't  we  getting  pretty  near  to  Louisiana, 
papa  ?"  asked  Ned  at  the  breakfast  table  tKe 
next  morning. 

"Near  enough  for  a  distant  view  of  its 
shore,"  was  the  smiling  reply. 

"Oh,  I'm  glad!  Are  we  going  to  stop  at 
New  Orleans,  papa  ?" 

"No;  we  will  not  go  up  to  that  city  this 
time,  but  travel  directly  to  Viamede  by  the 
shortest  route." 

"Oh,  I  am  glad  of  that,  for  I  just  long  for 
a  sight  of  our  beautiful  Viamede ;  and  I  think 
I  shall  get  well  there  right  fast,"  laughed 
Ned. 

"Maybe  so,  if  you  are  careful  to  obey  your 
doctor,"  said  Harold,  smiling  kindly  upon 
the  little  fellow. 

183 


fL8iS   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"It  will  be  ever  BO  nice  to  get  there,"  ex 
claimed  Elsie  Raymond.  "Grandma,  you 
were  so  kind  to  invite  us  all." 

"Not  kinder  to  you  than  to  myself,  since  to 
have  you  all  there  makes  the  place  twice  as 
enjoyable  and  attractive  to  me,"  was  the 
pleasant-toned  reply. 

"Will  the  friends  and  relatives  about  there 
be  expecting  us,  mother  ?"  asked  Grace. 

"I  think  they  will,  as  they  were  written  to 
that  we  expected  to  arrive  just  about  the  time 
we  are  now  likely  to  reach  there." 

"I  think  we  shall,"  said  the  captain;  and 
they  did,  to  find  the  expectant  relatives  gath 
ered  at  the  wharf  ready  to  give  them  a  joyful 
greeting ;  for  dearly  they  all  loved  Viamede's 
sweet  mistress,  and  they  also  cherished  a 
warm  affection  for  those  who  accompanied 
her,  especially  her  son  Harold  and  his  bride. 
The  congratulations  to  them  were  warm, 
especially  those  of  Dr.  Percival,  who  felt 
that  he  ,owed  his  life  to  God's  blessing'  upon 
Harold's  wise  and  kind  treatment  during  the 

18.4 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES^ 

severe  illness  caused  by  that  sad  fall  from 
his  horse  many  months  ago. 

And  now  he  and  his  Maud  had  a  treasure 
which  they  were  very  proud  to  show  to  Grand 
ma  Elsie  and  all  the  others — a  lovely  baby 
girl,  another  Elsie.  And  Dr.  and  Mrs.  John 
son  had  still  another  to  show,  exhibiting  it 
with  much  parental  pride,  speaking  of  it  as 
still  another  namesake  for  their  dearly  loved 
cousin,  Mrs.  Elsie  Travilla. 

She  was  much  moved.  "I  am  greatly  hon 
ored,"  she  said ;  "so  many  naming  their  dar 
lings  for  me.  I  have  brought  two  with  me — 
Elsie  Dinsmore  and  Elsie  Raymond ;  there  is 
one — Elsie  Keith — at  the  Parsonage ;  one  at 
Magnolia  Hall — Elsie  Embury;  and  now 
these  two  dear  babies,  making  six  here  in  all. 
Yes,  and  in  my  more  Northern  home  neighbor 
hood  there  is  my  eldest  daughter,  named  for 
me  by  her  father,  and  there  are  several  others, 
the  children  of  friends  who  have  honored  me 
in  the  same  way.  I  certainly  am  greatly 
honored.  But,  dear  Dick  and  Rob,  will  it  not 
185 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

make  confusion  to  have  two  of  the  same  name 
at  Torriswood  ?" 

"Oh,  I  think  not,  cousin,"  laughed 
Dick;  "ours  can  be  Elsie  P.  and  Rob's 
Elsie  J." 

"And,  oh,  Cousin  Elsie,  if  only  they  get 
your  sweet  disposition  along  with  the  name," 
exclaimed  Maud,  "they  will  have  reason  to 
thank  us  for  giving  it  to  them." 

"As  I  certainly  do  my  father  and  mother," 
said  little  Elsie  Keith,  standing  near  and 
listening  with  interest  to  the  talk  about  the 
name  she  bore.  "They  have  often  told  me 
I  must  try  to  be  like  the  dear  lady  relation 
whose  name  I  bear." 

"Dear  child,  may  you  succeed  in  greatly  im 
proving  upon  your  pattern,"  Mrs.  Travilla 
responded,  smiling  upon  the  little  girl, 
gently  smoothing  her  hair  and  giving  her  a 
kiss. 

But  now  came  the  summons  to  the  dinner 

table.     By  the  written  orders  of  Viamede's 

mistress,  sent  weeks  before,  a  fine,  abundant, 

186 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

luxurious  meal  had  been  made  ready  for  the 
occasion,  and  soon  all  were  seated  about  the 
hospitable  board  regaling  themselves  upom 
all  the  luxuries  to  be  had  in  that  part  of  the 
country  at  that  time  of  the  year. 

They  ate  with  appetites,  at  the  same  time 
enjoying  "the  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of 
soul." 

The  children  had  a  table  to  themselves,  that 
they  might  chatter  to  their  hearts'  content 
without  disturbing  the  older  folk,  and  they 
fully  appreciated  the  privilege. 

"Oh,  Elsie  Raymond!"  exclaimed  Mildred 
Keith,  the  eldest  of  the  children  from  the 
Parsonage,  "I  haven't  seen  your  tee-tee. 
Didn't  you  bring  it  along  ?" 

"No,"  replied  Elsie;  "Ned's  couldn't  be 
brought  because  he  was  not  well  enough  to 
care  for  it  on  the  Dolphin,  and  wouldn't  have 
felt  willing  to  leave  it  to  other  folks  to  be 
troubled  with;  so  it  had  to  be  left  at  home, 
and  as  we  didn't  want  to  part  them,  I  left 
mine  too." 

187 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Oh,  that  was  good  and  kind  in  you,"  was 
Mildred's  answering  remark. 

"So  we  won't  have  the  tee-tees  to  make  fun 
for  us  with  Cousin  Ronald's  help,"  said  an 
other  of  the  cousins.  "But  I  know  he  can 
make  fun  even  without  the  little  monkeys." 

"And  he's  always  so  very  kind  about  making 
fun  for  us,"  said  another.  "He's  a  dear  old 
gentleman !  I'm  as  fond  of  him  as  if  he  was 
a  near  relation." 

"And  you  had  a  wedding  at  your  house  just 
a  little  while  ago,"  said  another.  "I  like  both 
Cousin  Harold  and  Cousin  Grace,  and  it 
seems  nice  that  they  are  married  to  each 
other." 

"But  does  Cousin  Violet  like  it?  I  heard 
the  folks  say  it  would  make  her  mother  to  her 
brother." 

"Yes;  but,  besides,  it  makes  mamma  and 
Sister  Grace  sisters;  so  Gracie  can  say 
mamma  or  sister,  just  as  she  pleases;  but  I 
don't  believe  it  will  make  a  bit  of  difference 
in  their  love  for  each  other." 
188 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"No;  I  den't  believe  it  will,  or  make  her, 
your  mother,  and  Dr.  Harold  feel  at  all  differ 
ently  toward  each  other.  I  dare  say  they  will 
all  feel  and  act  toward  each  other  about  as 
they  did  before  the  wedding." 

"I'm  sorry  your  sisters  Lu  and  Eva  didn't 
come  this  time  and  bring  that  little  Mary. 
Why  didn't  they  and  Chester  come  ?" 

"Chester  couldn't  well  leave  his  business, 
Sister  Lu  didn't  want  to  leave  him,  and  Eva 
thought  home  was  better  for  Baby  Mary,'' 
Elsie  Raymond  said  in  reply.  "It  seemed 
hard  to  leave  them  behind,  but  papa  said  it 
couldn't  be  helped.  Oh,  I  wish  you  could  all 
see  Baby  Mary!  She  is  such  a  dear,  pretty 
little  thing." 

But  all  the  talk  was  not  going  on  at  the 
children's  table ;  the  grown  folks  were  doing 
their  full  share,  and  that  with  evident  en 
joyment. 

"We  understood,  Cousin  Elsie,"  said  Dr. 
Percival,  "that  the  cousins  from  the  Oaks  and 
Fairview  were  to  be  here." 
189 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

"Yes,  and  I  think  they  will  be  in  a  few 
days,  coming  by  rail.  They  were  not  quite 
ready  to  start  when  we  were,  nor  would  the 
yacht  have  held  us  all.  And  we  may  hope 
for  another  carousal  when  they  do  get  here," 
she  added  with  a  merry  look  and  musical 
laugh. 

"Ah,  that's  a  pleasant  prospect,  if  we  are 
to  be  invited  to  take  part  in  it,"  laughed  the 
doctor. 

"Ah,  Dick,  you  surely  know  that  is  of 
course,"  she  returned  with  a  look  that  said 
more  than  her  words.  "A  family  party  here 
without  you  in  it  would  hardly  be  worthy 
of  that  name  to  me." 

"Ah,  cousin,  you  are  indeed  kind  to  say  and 
to  feel  so,  for  I  don't  seem  to  myself  to  deserve 
to  be  so  estimated  by  you.  I  am  really  worth 
but  little  except  as  a  physician;  and  Harold 
here  can  outdo  me  in  that  line,"  he  added, 
giving  Harold  a  warmly  affectionate  look  and 
smile. 

''I  must  beg  leave  to  differ  as  to  that,  Cousin 
190 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

Dick,"  returned  Harold  brightly.  "I  .know 
of  no  physician  to  whom  I  would  sooner  trust 
the  life  of  any  ailing  dear  one  than  to  your 
self." 

"Thanks ;  that  is  certainly  a  very  strong  en 
dorsement  you  give  me,"  laughed  Dick,  color 
ing  with  pleasure. 

"And  I  can  give  you  the  same,"  said  his 
half  brother  and  partner,  Dr.  Johnson.  "We 
seem  to  be  a  family  of  remarkably  good 
physicians,  if  we  do  say  it  ourselves,"  he 
added  with  a  hearty  laugh. 

"I  don't  think  you  need;  you  may  safely 
trust  to  other  folks  doing  it,"  remarked  Cap 
tain  Raymond  pleasantly. 

"But  don't  expect  any  of  us  to  get 
sick  in  order  to  give  you  fellows  a  chance 
to  show  your  skill,"  observed  Mr.  Dinsmore 
gravely. 

"Oh,   no,   uncle;   we   can   find   plenty   of 

patients  among  the  constant  dwellers  in  this 

region;  so  you  may  feel  quite  safe  from  our 

experimenting  upon  you — unless  you  get  up 

191 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

an  accident  that  will  call  for  our  aid,"  said 
Dick. 

"I  assure  you  I  have  no  idea  of  doing  that, 
even  to  help  my  nephews  and  grandson  to 
plenty  of  employment  to  keep  them  out  of 
mischief,"  laughed  Mr.  Dinsmore. 

"And  you  needn't,  grandpa,  so  far  as  I  am 
concerned,"  said  Harold,  with  a  humorous 
look  and  smile.  "This  is  Grace's  and  my 
honeymoon,  you  know,  and  we  are  entitled 
to  a  full  holiday." 

"So  you  are,  and  I  shall  do  nothing  to  inter 
fere  with  it,"  returned  Mr.  Dinsmore  with 
assumed  gravity,  but  a  twinkle  of  fun  in  his 
eye. 

"Are  Chester  and  Lu  coming  with  the  other 
party,  uncle?"  asked  Maud. 

"No;  I  understand  that  Chester  has  too 
much  business  calling  for  his  attention,  and 
that  Lu,  like  the  good,  affectionate  wife  that 
she  is,  could  not  be  persuaded  to  leave  him; 
and  Eva  remains  at  home  for  their  sake  and 
that  of  Her  baby." 

192 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

And  so  the  talk  went  on  till  all  the  courses  of 
the  grand  dinner  had  been  served  and  heartily 
partaken  of. 

Then  all,  old  and  young,  gathered  in  the 
drawing-room  and  spent  a  pleasant  hour  in 
friendly  chat.  After  that  cordial  good-nights 
were  exchanged,  accompanied  with  plans  and 
promises  in  regard  to  future  intentions,  and 
one  after  another  the  relatives  and  guests  de 
parted  for  their  own  homes. 

Little,  feeble  E"ed  had  already  been  taken 
to  his  nest  for  the  night,  but  the  other  chil 
dren  were  now  permitted  a  brief  sojourn  upon 
the  front  veranda,  made  delightful  by  the 
sweet  scent  of  the  orange  blossoms  upon  the 
trees  and  the  many  lovely  flowers  adorning 
the  moonlighted  lawn,  that  light  giving  them 
also  a  charming  view  of  the  more  distant 
landscape. 


193 


CHAPTEK  XIV 

IT  was  a  bright,  cheerful  party  that  gathered 
about  the  Viamede  breakfast  table  the  next 
morning. 

"Southern  air  seems  to  agree  finely  with 
my  young  patient  thus  far,"  remarked  Dr. 
Harold,  looking  smilingly  at  Ned,  who  was 
partaking  of  the  good  fare  provided  with  an 
appetite  such  as  he  had  not  shown  before 
since  the  beginning  of  his  illness. 

"Yes,  uncle  doctor,  I'm  hungry  this  morn 
ing,  and  everything  tastes  good,"  laughed 
Ned.  "But  Viamede  victuals  always  were 
ever  so  nice." 

"And  home  victuals  poor  and  tasteless?" 
queried  the  lad's  mother,  feigning  a  look  of 
grieved  surprise. 

"Oh,  no,  mamma ;  home  victuals  are  good — 
very  good — when  one  is  well,  so  as  to  have  a 
good  appetite,"  returned  Ned  reassuringly. 
194 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

"Very  true,  son,"  said  his  father ;  "and  you 
used  to  show  full  appreciation  of  them.  So 
mamma  need  not  feel  hurt  that  you  so  greatly 
enjoy  your  present  fare." 

"And  p'raps  his  good  appetite  will  make 
the  little  chap  strong  enough  for  a  row  on 
the  bayou  a  bit  arter  gittin'  done  his  break 
fast,"  said  a  rough  voice,  seemingly  coming 
from  an  open  doorway  into  the  outer 
hall. 

"Now,  who  are  you  talking  that  way  about 
me?"  queried  Ned,  turning  half  way  round 
in  his  chair  in  an  effort  to  catch  sight  of  the 
speaker. 

"Who  am  I  ?  Somebody  that  knows  a  thing 
or  two  'bout  boys  an'  what  they  can  do,  an' 
what  they  like;  an'  I  guess  you're  not  much 
different  from  other  fellows  o'  your  age  an' 
sect.  Be  ye  now  ?" 

"No,  I  guess  not,"  laughed  Ned.  "I  don't 
belong  to  any  sect,  though.  But  I  suppose 
you  mean  sex.  I'm  of  the  male  kind." 

"Oh,  you  are.  Then  I  s'pose  you're  brave 
195 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

enough  to  venture  a  row  on  the  bayou  without 
fear  o'  bein'  drowned  ?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  with  all  these  grown-up  folks 
along  to  take  care  of  me,"  laughed  Ned.  Then 
looking  across  the  table  at  Mr.  Lilburn,  "Now 
that  was  just  you  talking,  Cousin  Ronald, 
wasn't  it?" 

"Why,  Neddie  boy,  do  you  think  that  is  the 
kind  of  English  I  speak?"  queried  Mr.  Lil 
burn  in  a  hurt  tone,  as  if  he  felt  insulted  by 
such  a  suspicion  in  regard  to  his  knowledge 
and  use  of  the  English  tongue. 

"No,  Cousin  Ronald,  I  didn't  mean 
any  harm;  but  haven't  you  different 
kinds  of  voices  for  different  times  and 
occasions?"  returned  Ned.  "And  weren't 
you  kindly  trying  to  make  a  bit  of  fun  for 
me?" 

"Ah,  little  chap,  you  seem  to  be  good  at 
guessing,"  laughed  Mr.  Lilburn;  "a  bit  of  a 
Yankee,  aren't  you?" 

"No,  sir ;  I'm  a  whole  one,"  cried  Ned,  echo 
ing  the  laugh.  "But,  papa,"  turning  to  his 
196 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

father,  "can't  we  get  in  a  boat  and  have  a 
row  on  the  bayou  ?" 

"Well,  Ned,  I  suppose  that  might  be  pos 
sible,"  was  the  smiling  rejoinder.  "Suppose 
we  take  a  vote  on  the  question.  All  in  favor 
of  the  proposition  say  aye." 

At  that  there  was  a  simultaneous  aye  from 
the  voice  of  each  one  at  the  table. 

Then  Grandma  Elsie  said,  "I  think  it  would 
be  enjoyable,  but  probably  the  cousins  may 
be  coming  in  to  make  their  party  calls  before 
we  get  back." 

"I  think  not,  mamma,  if  we  start  early  and 
do  not  go  too  far,"  said  Violet ;  "and  we  can 
leave  word  with  the  servants  that  our  absence 
will  be  short,  so  that  any  one  who  comes  will 
be  encouraged  to  wait  a  bit." 

"I  should  think  they  well  might,"  smilingly 
added  Mrs.  Lilburn,  "seeing  what  a  delight 
ful  place  they  would  have  to  wait  in,  and 
plenty  of  interesting  reading  matter  at 
hand." 

"Yes,  I  think  we  really  might  venture  it," 
107 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

said  Dr.  Harold,  "especially  as  the  little  jaunt 
will  probably  be  for  the  health  of  all  taking 
part  in  it." 

So  it  was  decided  upon,  and  the  plan  carried 
out  shortly  after  leaving  the  table. 

Every  one,  especially  the  younger  folk, 
seemed  delighted  with  the  idea  and  eager  for 
the  start.  Ned  was  well  wrapped  up  under 
the  supervision  of  his  mother  and  uncle,  and 
seated  in  a  part  of  the  boat  where  there  could 
not  be  any  danger  for  him  of  even  a  slight 
wetting. 

All  found  it  a  delightful  trip,  and  returned 
refreshed  and  strengthened,  the  younger  ones 
full  of  mirth  and  jollity. 

It  so  happened  that  they  were  just  in  time 
to  greet  an  arrival  of  cousins  from  Magnolia 
Hall  and  the  Parsonage,  presently  followed 
by  those  from  Torriswood.  Cordial  greet 
ings  were  exchanged  and  an  hour  or  two 
spent  in  pleasant  intercourse,  in  which  plans 
were  laid  for  excursions  here  and  there 
through  the  lovely  surrounding  country  and 
198 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

entertainments  at  one  and  another  of  their 
homes. 

"Don't  wait  for  the  coming  of  the  rest  of 
your  party  of  relatives,"  said  Dr.  Percival. 
"We  will  look  forward  to  the  pleasure  of 
having  you  all  again,  with  that  agreeable 
addition  to  the  company." 

"Thank  you,  Dick,"  returned  Grandma 
Elsie  with  her  own  sweet  smile,  "we  can 
hardly  have  more  than  would  be  agreeable  of 
these  lovely  excursions  or  the  delightful  visits 
to  the  hospitable  homes  of  our  kith  and  kin 
in  this  region.  And  the  oftener  any  or  all 
of  you  visit  us  here  at  Viamede,  the  better." 

"And  please  understand  that  we  all  echo  in 
our  hearts  the  sentiments  just  expressed  by 
our  mother,"  supplemented  Violet  in  her 
sprightly  way. 

"Yes,"  laughed  the  captain;  "I  can  vouch 
for  the  correctness  of  my  wife's  strange  and 
strong  assertion." 

"And  I,"  added  Harold,  "join  with  my 
brother  physician  in  recommending  for  the 
199 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

health,  as  well  as  present  enjoyment  of  us  all, 
the  taking  of  an  unlimited  number  of  these 
delightful  excursions  by  land  and  water." 

"Now  let's  follow  that  good  prescription," 
laughed  Elsie  Dinsmore,  and  the  other  young 
people  received  the  suggestion  with  clapping 
of  hands  and  words  of  most  decided  approval. 

A  merry,  enjoyable  fortnight  followed  be 
fore  the  expected  increase  in  their  numbers, 
during  which  Cousin  Ronald  often  enter 
tained  them  with  exhibitions  of  his  skill  as  a 
ventriloquist.  It  did  not  mystify  and  puzzle 
them  as  it  had  done  when  they  first  made  his 
acquaintance,  but,  nevertheless,  was  the 
exciting  cause  of  much  mirth  and  hilarity. 
Especially  when  there  happened  to  be  some 
neighbor  present  who  was  ignorant  of  the  old 
gentleman's  peculiar  talent;  and  that  often 
made  the  call  of  such  casual  acquaintances 
the  more  desirable  and  welcome.  The  rela 
tives  from  Magnolia  Hall,  Torriswood  and 
the  Parsonage  were  often  visitors  at  Via- 
mede,  sitting  with  its  family  on  the  veranda 
200 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

in  the  afternoons  and  evenings,  and  quite 
frequently  callers,  more  or  less  intimate, 
would  be  there  with  them ;  and  if  Mr.  Lilburn 
felt  in  the  mood  or  was  urged  by  one  or  more 
of  the  young  folks  of  the  family  to  try  his 
skill,  he  would  kindly  do  so. 

Early  one  evening,  when  the  gathering  was 
larger  than  usual,  ISTed  crept  to  Cousin 
Ronald's  side  and  whispered  in  his  ear  an 
urgent  request  for  a  bit  of  the  fun  he  alone 
could  make.  "Perhaps,  sonny  boy,  if  an  idea 
comes  to  me,"  replied  the  old  gentleman  in 
the  same  low  key.  "Go  back  now  to  your 
mother  and  be  quiet  and  easy  for  your 
health's  sake." 

Ned  obeyed,  and  leaning  on  his  mother's 
lap,  with  her  arm  around  him,  listened 
eagerly  for  he  hardly  knew  exactly  what. 

Presently  a  voice  was  heard,  seemingly 
Coming  from  a  clump  of  bushes  not  far  away, 
"Ladies  and  gentlemen,  young  folks  too,  what 
good  times  you're  having!  While  I'm  but  a 
poor  fellow,  wandering  and  homeless  in  a 
201 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

strange  land,  no  roof  to  cover  me,  no  bed  to 
sleep  in,  and  nothing  to  eat.  Ah,  woe's  me ! 
What  can  I  do  but  lie  down  and  die  ?" 

"No,  you  needn't,"  called  out  Ned.  "Go 
round  to  the  kitchen  and  ask  politely  for 
something  to  eat,  and  you'll  get  it." 

"I  don't  believe  they'd  give  me  a  bite.  I'm 
not  a  beggar,  either,  an'  to  take  to  that  trade 
wad  be  worse  nor  dying  an  honest,  upright, 
self-supporting  man." 

"Why,  who  is  it,  and  what  does  he  want !" 
queried  one  of  Viamede's  visitors  in  tones  of 
surprise  and  disgust. 

"Let's  go  down  and  see;  give  him  some 
money,  if  he'll  take  it,  to  buy  himself  some 
supper  and  pay  for  a  night's  lodging,"  said 
another  guest,  jumping  up  and  moving 
toward  the  veranda  steps. 

"Tell  him  we  will  give  him  something  to 
eat — send  it  out  there  to  him,  if  he  wishes," 
said  Grandma  Elsie,  speaking  very  soberly, 
though  she  felt  pretty  certain  they  would  find 
no  one  there. 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

The  lads  hurried  down  to  the  bushes  that 
seemed  to  hide  the  stranger,  and  Ned  clapped 
his  hands  in  ecstasy  over  the  idea  that  they 
had  been  so  easily  and  completely  duped. 

"They'll  be  greatly  surprised  and  disap 
pointed,"  said  Elsie  Dinsmore,  "and  it's 
almost  too  bad,  for  they  seem  very  kind- 
hearted  and  ready  to  help  one  in  distress." 

The  other  young  folks  were  laughing  in  an 
amused  way. 

"And  it  was  just  you,  Cousin  Ronald, 
wasn't  it  ?"  asked  Elsie  Raymond. 

"Why,  what  a  strange  idea !"  exclaimed  the 
old  gentleman.  "I  haven't  been  down  there 
on  the  lawn  for  hours." 

"But  maybe  your  voice  has,"  laughed  Elsie. 

"Oh,  here  they  come  to  tell  us  about  it," 
exclaimed  Alie  Leland,  as  the  lads  were  seen 
hurrying  back  in  a  very  excited  way. 

"There's  nobody  there!"  cried  one.  "We 
searched  all  about  and  couldn't  find  a  soul." 

"No,  indeed,  we  couldn't,  and  it's  very  my»- 
terious,  I  think,"  added  the  other. 
203 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Looks  as  if  he'd  run  off  before  you  got 
there,"  said  Ned. 

"He  couldn't.  There  wasn't  time,"  panted 
the  foremost  lad  as  they  came  up  the  steps 
of  the  veranda. 

"Well,  then,  it's  his  own  fault  if  he  misses 
getting  something  to  eat,"  said  Ned,  trying 
hard  to  keep  from  laughing. 

"Strange  how  blind  some  folks  are,"  re 
marked  the  same  strange  voice,  seeming  now 
close  to  the  veranda,  and  followed  by  a  pro 
found  sigh. 

"Why,  there  he  is  again,  and  nearer  than 
before !"  cried  one  of  the  lads  who  had  been 
trying  to  find  him,  and  both  peered  eagerly 
over  the  railing ;  but  to  their  evident  astonish 
ment,  could  see  no  one. 

"Dear  me,  where  in  the  world  is  he?" 
exclaimed  again  the  boy  who  had  first 
spoken.  "His  voice  sounded  even  nearer 
than  before  and  yet  he's  nowhere  to  be 
Been." 

"Oh,  let's  look  tinder  the  veranda,"  sug- 
204 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

gested  the  other.     "Perhaps  he  may  have 
crept  in  there." 

"Oh,  yes,  if  Mrs.  Travilla  is  willing,"  re 
turned  his  companion. 

"I  have  no  objection,"  she  said  pleasantly, 
and  they  proceeded  to  look,  but  soon  an 
nounced  that  there  was  no  one  to  be  found 
there. 

"And  it  certainly  isn't  worth  your  while  to 
take  such  trouble  to  find  so  good  for  naught 
a  scamp,"  returned  Mr.  Lilburn  in  his  nat 
ural  voice.  "I  wadna  try  it  any  more,  lads." 

"Ha,  ha,  ha.  I  knew  you  couldn't  find  me !" 
laughed  the  invisible  speaker,  the  voice  this 
time  apparently  coming  from  the  roof  of  the 
veranda. 

"Well,"  cried  Ned,  "how  in  the  world  did 
he  get  up  there  ?  What  a  famous  climber 
he  must  be !" 

At  that  the  mystified  stranger  boys  hurried 

down  the  veranda  steps  again  and  some  little 

distance  down  the  path  leading  across  the 

grounds    from   the   front   of   the   dwelling, 

205 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

turned  there  and  stood  looking  up  at  the 
veranda's  roof. 

"Why,  there's  nothing  and  nobody  there!" 
they  exclaimed  breathlessly  as  they  hurried 
back  again. 

"It  certainly  is  a  most  mysterious  thing," 
panted  one.  "How  a  fellow  could  be  so  close 
by  and  then  disappear  so  suddenly  and  com 
pletely  I  can't  imagine." 

"Well,  well,  lads,  such  a  slippery  ne'er-do- 
weel  isna  worth  worrying  about,"  said  Mr. 
Lilburn.  "And  we  needna  trouble  oursel's 
if  he  goes  hungry." 

"But  I  should  be  sorry  indeed  to  have  any 
of  my  guests  do  that,"  said  Grandma  Elsie 
as  just  at  that  moment  servants  appeared 
carrying  silver  salvers  laden  with  fruit  and 
cakes. 

That  seemed  a  welcome  interruption  to  even 
the  sorely  puzzled  stranger  boys,  and  when 
that  feasting  was  over  the  captain  called  for 
music,  and  his  wife,  going  to  the  piano,  played 
"Yankee  Doodle"  with  variations,  then  "Star- 
206 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

Spangled  Banner,"  in  the  singing  of  which 
all  joined  heartily.  Just  as  the  last  strain 
died  away  the  strange  voice  was  heard  again 
from  the  far  end  of  the  veranda. 

"That's  a  grand  old  song.  Just  the  kind 
for  every  American  to  sing,  whether  he's  rich 
or  poor." 

"Oh,  there  he  is  again !"  cried  the  stranger 
lads,  springing  to  their  feet  and  looking 
eagerly  in  the  direction  of  the  sounds. 

"But  just  as  invisible  as  ever,"  gasped  one. 
"How  on  earth  does  he  manage  to  disappear 
so  quickly?" 

At  that  there  was  a  half-suppressed  titter 
among  the  young  folks  of  the  house,  while 
Mr.  Lilburn  said  in  his  own  natural  tones, 
"Tut,  tut,  young  fellows ;  I'd  pay  no  attention 
to  him.  He  isn't  worth  minding." 

"No,  indeed,"  said  Dr.  Harold,  "he  isn't, 
and  wouldn't  attempt  to  harm  any  one  of  us, 
even  if  he  wanted  to,  as  we  are  so  many  and 
he  but  one." 

"!No,"  said  the  voice,  "I'm  not  worth  mind- 
207 


ing,  not  at  all  dangerous,  for  I  wouldn't  hurt 
anybody  if  I  wanted  to,  and  wouldn't  dare  do 
it  if  I  had  sic  a  wicked  inclination." 

"Well,  sir,  it's  very,  very  queer  how  you  can 
be  so  plainly  heard  and  not  seen  at  all,"  re 
marked  one  of  the  puzzled  young  fellows. 
Then  pulling  out  his  watch,  "But  it's  high 
time  for  me  to  go  home  now." 

"For  me,  too,"  said  his  companion,  and 
bidding  good-night  to  their  hostess  and  the 
company,  they  went  away  together. 

"Good!  They  didn't  find  out  anything," 
chuckled  ISTed  when  they  were  beyond  hear 
ing. 

Then  began  plans  for  the  next  day's  outing, 
and  conjectures  as  to  when  they  might  look 
for  the  expected  addition  to  this  Viamede 
party  from  their  more  northern  homes.  That 
was  brought  about  in  a  few  days,  and  added 
pleasure  to  their  picnics,  excursions  and  fam 
ily  gatherings  at  Torriswood,  Magnolia  Hall, 
the  Parsonage  and  Viamede  itself. 

208 


CHAPTER  XV 

To  Lucilla  it  seemed  hard  to  part  for  some 
months,  just  after  the  wedding,  from  her 
darling  sister  Grace,  from  Elsie  and  Ned 
also,  to  say  nothing  of  Harold  and  his  lovely 
mother;  and  for  the  fortnight  or  more  that 
elapsed  before  the  other  company  left  she 
clung  very  closely  to  her  father  and  Max, 
not  neglecting  Violet  either.  But  when  they 
also  were  gone  she  gave  herself  more  unre 
servedly  to  Eva  and  Baby  Mary,  enjoying 
them  keenly  through  the  day  while  business 
claimed  Chester's  attention,  then  him  in  the 
evenings  and  early  mornings  until  he  must 
hie  away  to  his  office  in  Uniontown. 

During  the  time  that  elapsed  between  the 
departure  of  the  first  and  second  party  of 
relatives  and  friends  to  the  South  there  was 
an  almost  daily  exchange  of  visits  with  the 
Oaks  and  Fairview  families,  those  at  Ion  also, 
209 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

and  it  was  a  joy  to  know  that  they — the  Ion 
people — were  not  to  flit  with  the  others,  and 
that  the  Roseland  and  Beechwood  friends  had 
planned  to  remain  at  home  through  the 
winter  also;  and  particularly  that  Drs. 
Arthur  Conly  and  Herbert  Travilla  were  evi 
dently  intending  to  do  likewise,  except  as  they 
travelled  about  the  adjacent  country  in  the 
practice  of  their  profession.  And  the  Ion 
family — Edward  Travilla,  his  wife  and  chil 
dren — having  visited  Viamede  only  the  year 
before,  were  expecting  to  spend  their  winter 
at  their  own  home;  and  Zoe,  with  kind- 
hearted  concern  for  Evelyn  and  Lucilla,  made 
frequent  little  visits  to  Sunnyside,  which  she 
urgently  invited  them  to  return ;  and  they  did 
so  when  there  were  no  other  more  important 
calls  upon  their  time  and  the  weather  was 
suitable  for  little  Mary  to  be  taken  out ;  for 
to  both  mother  and  aunt  she  seemed  too  dear 
and  precious  to  be  left  behind. 

Then  there  was  the  pleasant  task  of  the 

daily  correspondence  with  their  nearest  and 

210 


ELSIE   AND   HER    NAMESAKES 

dearest  of  absent  relatives  and  friends — Eva 
with  her  husband,  father-in-law  and  Violet, 
Lucilla  with  her  father,  brother  and  sister. 
How  delightful  it  was  to  get  their  letters. 
How  eagerly  they  both  watched  for  the  com 
ing  of  the  daily  mail. 

Lucilla  sadly  missed  her  morning  strolls 
with  her  father  about  the  grounds;  yet  not 
so  much  as  she  might  have  done  at  another 
season  of  the  year,  for  it  was  often  too  cold 
and  stormy  for  such  rambles  even  had  he  been 
there;  and  she  would  console  herself  with 
writing  to  him  what  she  might  have  said  with 
her  tongue  had  he  been  there  to  listen  to  her 
loving,  daughterly  confidences  and  expres 
sions  of  affection.  And  she  could  seek  his 
wise  counsels  and  receive  them  in  his  answer 
ing  epistle.  So  she  strove  to  be  patient  and 
content,  rejoicing  in  the  glad  hope  that  the 
separation  was  to  be  for  but  a  few  short 
months. 

"And,"  she  would  say  to  herself,  "how  much, 
better  off  I  am  than  poor,  dear  Eva,  my  hus- 
211 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

band  coming  home  every  night,  while  hers  is 
to  be  gone  for  weeks  or  months." 

Eva  sorely  missed  her  absent  husband,  but 
the  darling  baby  daughter  was  a  great  joy 
and  comfort. 

So  passed  January,  February  and  March, 
and  with  the  coming  in  of  April  Eva  and 
Lucilla  rejoiced  in  the  thought  that  in  a  few 
weeks  the  dear  ones  now  at  Viamede  would  be 
returning  to  their  more  northern  homes,  as 
were  the  Ion  folks,  the  kith  and  kin,  or  those 
left  in  charge,  at  the  Oaks,  Fairview,  Beech- 
wood,  Roselands,  the  Laurels  and  Riverside. 

Dr.  Arthur  Conly  and  his  Marian,  strongly 
attached  to  each  other,  and  almost  idolizing 
their  baby  boy,  were  an  ideally  happy  pair, 
and  Roselands  had  grown  even  more  lovely 
than  it  was  in  earlier  days.  As  they  were 
about  to  leave  the  breakfast  table  one  fair 
April  morning  a  ring  from  the  telephone  bell 
summoned  the  doctor  to  make  a  prompt  call 
at  Sunnyside. 

He  replied  that  he  would  be  there  as  soon 
212 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

as  possible,  which  would  be  in  a  few  minutes, 
his  gig  being  already  at  the  door.  Turning 
about,  he  found  his  wife  close  at  his  side. 

"I  must  set  off  at  once  for  Sunnyside,"  he 
said ;  "Lucilla  is  ill.  Will  you  go  along  ?" 

"Yes,  indeed.  She  has  been  such  a  dear, 
kind  friend  to  me  that  I  love  her  as  if  she 
were  my  own  sister.  And  we  can  safely  trust 
our  darling  Ronald  for  an  hour  or  two  to  the 
care  of  his  nurse." 

"With  perfect  safety.  She  is  his  devoted 
slave,"  laughed  the  doctor. 

So  the  two  set  off  at  once  on  their  errand  of 
mercy  and  loving  kindness. 

They  found  Chester  at  home,  Dr.  Herbert 
Travilla  already  there,  Lucilla  in  bed,  suffer 
ing  but  patient,  Zoe  from  Ion  and  Ella  from 
Beechwood  already  there  to  do  what  they 
could  for  her,  and  Eva  passing  in  and  out, 
anxious  to  do  all  in  her  power,  yet  not  willing 
to  neglect  Baby  Mary. 

An  hour  or  two  later  a  baby  boy  was  gently 
laid  down  by  Lucilla's  side. 

213 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

"Your  son,  dearest,"  Chester  said  in  raptu 
rous  tones;  "the  little  Levis  Raymond  we 
have  been  hoping  for." 

"Oh,  how  glad  I  am!"  she  cried.  "My 
father's  first  grandson,  and  bearing  his  name. 
Baby  dear,  you  shall  be  your  mother's  Ray 
of  Sunshine.  Oh,  how  I  want  to  show  you 
to  my  father,  your  grandfather." 

"There,  love,"  Chester  said,  giving  her  a 
kiss  of  ardent  affection,  "that  will  do;  don't 
talk  any  more  now,  lest  you  wear  yourself 
out." 

"That  is  good  advice,  Cousin  Lu,  and  I  hope 
you  will  follow  it,"  said  Dr.  Conly.  "You 
must  take  care  of  yourself  now  for  the  sake 
of  your  husband  and  son." 

"I  will,"  she  answered;  "but,  oh,  Chester, 
send  father  word  as  soon  as  you  can." 

"Dearest,"  he  said  with  a  happy  laugh,  "I 
have  already  done  so.  Before  leaving  us  he 
charged  me  not  to  delay  a  moment  to  let  him 
know  if  you  were  taken  ill;  to  send  word 
promptly,  and  I  have  obeyed." 
214 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

"And  he  will  soon  be  here  to  see  this,  hig 
first  grandson!  I  am  so  glad  I  could  give 
him  one,"  she  exclaimed  in  tones  of  delight. 

"As  I  am,"  responded  Chester.  "But,  love, 
don't  talk  any  more  just  now,  but  try  for 
a  nap  such  as  the  tiny  newcomer  seems  to  be 
taking." 

"I  will,  if  only  to  please  and  satisfy  you, 
my  dear  husband,"  she  returned  with  a  happy 
little  laugh,  and  almost  instantly  passed  into 
the  land  of  dreams,  while  Chester  softly  with 
drew  from  the  room,  leaving  her  in  the  charge 
of  a  skilful,  trustworthy  nurse. 

He  found  Eva  with  her  baby  and  Marian 
and  the  doctors  on  the  front  veranda. 

"You  are  looking  very  happy,  Chester," 
laughed  Dr.  Herbert ;  "almost  as  if  you  had 
fallen  into  a  fortune  since  I  came  here  this 
morning." 

"Pretty  much  as  I  feel,"  returned  Chester, 

his    countenance    telling   more    of   joy    and 

thankfulness  than  his  tongue.    "Lu  has  fallen 

into  a  comfortable  sleep,"  he  went  on.    "The 

215 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

little  newcomer  seems  to  be  as  welcome  to  her 
as  to  me." 

"And  I  think  my  wife  and  I  can  fully  ap 
preciate  her  and  your  joy  over  him,"  said 
Dr.  Conly,  exchanging  an  affectionate,  smil 
ing  glance  with  his  Marian. 

"The  'phone  has  already  carried  the  news 
to  all  our  relatives  in  this  neighborhood  and 
brought  pleased  and  congratulatory  replies," 
said  Herbert;  "and  you  'phoned  her  father, 
did  you  not,  Chester  ?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Chester;  "and  there,  no 
doubt,  comes  his  response,"  he  added,  as  the 
ringing  of  his  telephone  bell  was  heard  at  that 
moment,  "so  now  we  may  learn  how  he  feels 
about  it,"  and  he  hastened  to  the  instrument, 
the  others  following,  all  eager  to  learn  what 
the  message  from  the  absent  dear  ones  might 
be. 

The  captain's  own  breathed  of  thankfulness 
and  ardent  parental  love  for  his  dear  daugh 
ter,  who,  he  hoped,  would  soon  be  well  and 
strong.  He  was  glad  to  have  a  grandson,  and 
216 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

appreciated  the  naming  of  the  child  for 
him. 

"A  most  kind,  affectionate  message,"  re 
marked  Chester,  with  a  sigh  of  satisfaction 
as  he  turned  from  the  instrument  to  Eva 
and  the  others.  "Lu  will  be  pleased  when  I 
tell  her  what  her  father  says.  How  she  does 
love  and  cling  to  him!  I  am  glad,  indeed, 
that  we  may  hope  to  see  him  and  all  the  party 
here  again  in  a  few  weeks." 

"So  am  I,"  said  Dr.  Conly;  "and  in  the 
meantime  we  will  do  our  best  to  bring  Lu 
safely  on  to  her  usual  robust  health  and 
strength." 

"And  to  have  her  son  in  like  flourishing  con 
dition,"  added  Dr.  Herbert  with  genial  look 
and  smile  directed  to  the  father  of  the  little 
lad. 


21T 


CHAPTER  XVI 

CAPTAIN  RAYMOND  was  sitting  alone  in  the 
library  at  Viamede,  busily  engaged  in  exam- 
ining  and  answering  letters  received  by  that 
morning's  mail  when  the  telephone  brought 
him  Chester's  message  in  regard  to  Lucilla — 
her  illness  and  the  birth  of  their  little  son. 
It  was  news  of  deepest  interest  and  impor 
tance  to  the  loving,  anxious  father.  He 
answered  at  once,  then  went  out  into  the 
grounds  to  seek  his  wife,  who,  with  Elsie  and 
Ned,  had  remained  at  home  while  the  rest 
of  their  party  and  neighbor  friends  had  gone 
off  on  various  excursions  by  land  or  water. 

Ned  was  not  yet  strong  enough  to  be  con 
tinually  on  the  go,  and  his  parents  and  sister 
had  elected  to  stay  at  home  with  him  on  this 
occasion.  Violet  was  now  sitting  under  the 
orange-trees  with  a  child  on  each  side,  who 
were  listening  with  .keen  interest  to  a  story 
218 


which  she  was  reading  to  them.  She  paused 
at  the  sound  of  her  husband's  footsteps,  and 
looking  up  into  his  face  laughingly  exclaimed, 
"Why,  how  happy  you  look,  my  dear !  Have 
you  good  news  ?" 

"Yes,  love,"  he  replied.  "I  have  a  grand 
son  ;  and  mother  and  child  seem  to  be  doing 
well." 

"Oh,  papa !  a  grandson.  Why,  whose  baby 
is  it?  Another  for  Eva?"  queried  Elsie  in 
great  excitement. 

"No ;  it  is  your  sister  Lu  who  is  the  mother 
this  time,  and  Chester  is  its  father." 

"Oh,  a  dear  little  boy!  I  wish  we  were 
there  to  see  him,"  cried  Ned. 

"I  hope  to  take  you  there  in  a  few  weeks," 
returned  his  father  with  a  pleased  smile. 
"We  won't  delay  much  longer,  for  I  should 
really  like  a  sight  of  the  little  fellow  myself." 

"As  I  certainly  should,"  said  Violet.  "Dear 
Lu !  I  have  no  doubt  she  is  very  happy  over 
it.  And  they  have  named  him  for  you, 
haven't  they,  Levis  ?" 

219 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Yes,  my  dear;  for  me,  his  only  living 
grandsire,"  returned  the  captain,  tone  and 
accompanying  smile  both  showing  the  pleas 
ure  he  felt  in  being  thus  affectionately 
remembered  by  both  parents  of  the  little 
one. 

"Yes,  so  you  are;  and  I  should  have  been 
exceedingly  surprised  had  they  given  the 
child  any  other  name ;  for  Lu  loves  you  with 
all  her  heart,  and  Chester  seems  to  feel  quite 
as  if  you  were  his  own  father." 

"I  believe  that  is  so,"  returned  the  captain, 
his  tone  and  countenance  expressing  satis 
faction.  "I  am  fortunate  as  concerns  sons- 
in-law,  except  in  the  mixture  of  relationship 
in  the  gaining  of  the  last,  and  that  seems 
to  work  well  enough  thus  far." 

"I  think  it  does,  and  it  has  ceased  to  trouble 
me,"  said  Violet.  "But  this  news  makes  me 
feel  like  hurrying  home  to  Woodburn,  and  I 
am  sure  will  have  that  effect  upon  Grace  when 
she  hears  it." 

"I  dare  say,"  assented  the  captain;  "and  I 
220 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

think  we  need  not  linger  here  longer  than 
another  fortnight." 

"I  am  so  glad,"  cried  Grace  when  she  heard 
the  news.  "Lu  wanted  to  give  you  your  first 
grandson,  and  now  she  has  got  her  wish." 

"I  fully  appreciate  the  affection  whicK 
prompted  the  wish,  and  am  glad,  especially 
for  her  sake,  that  it  has  been  granted,"  re 
turned  the  captain  with  a  look  that  said  even 
more  than  the  words. 

"As  I  am,"  said  Dr.  Harold ;  "especially  as 
I  know  that  it  was  Chester's  wish  as  much  as 
hers." 

The  Torriswood  folk  had  come  in  with  the 
Travillas,  and  now  expressed  their  gratifica 
tion  at  the  news. 

"A  little  nephew  for  us,"  exclaimed  Maud. 
"And  I  am  glad  for  Chester  as  well  as  Lu, 
as  it  seems  he  wanted  it;  but  I'm  glad  our 
baby  is  a  girl  that  we  could  name  for  dear 
Cousin  Elsie,"  giving  a  warmly  loving  look 
to  Grandma  Elsie  as  she  spoke. 

"As  I  am,"  said  her  husband,  adding,  "and 
221 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

I  only  hope  that  a  close  resemblance  in  both 
looks  and  character  may  accompany  the 
name." 

"As  I  do  in  regard  to  my  little  darling," 
said  Sidney  and  Dr.  Johnson,  speaking  simul 
taneously;  then  they  laughed,  and  Sidney 
added,  "I  shall  write  to  the  happy  parents, 
offering  my  warm  congratulations." 

"And  I  shall  do  likewise,"  said  Maud,  "tell 
ing  them  I  am  glad  I  am  aunt  to  the  wonder 
ful  little  chap." 

"And  I  shall  write  to  Lu  that  she  may  con 
sider  me  both  his  cousin  and  his  grandma," 
laughed  Violet. 

"Oh,  mamma,"  exclaimed  her  daughter 
Elsie,  "you  know  I  don't  like  to  have  you 
called  a  grandma.  It  sounds  as  if  you  were 
old,  and  you  are  not  at  all  old." 

"Well,  dear  child,  you  needn't  mind.  It 
won't  make  me  a  day  older,"  laughed  Violet. 

"Nor  me,  although  it  would  seem  to  make 
me  a  great-grandmother,"  added  Grandma 
Elsie  pleasantly. 

222 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"While  no  one  would  suspect  you  from  your 
looks  of  being  even  a  grandmother,"  re 
marked  the  captain  gallantly. 

"No"  said  Dr.  Percival ;  "I  have  seen  many 
much  younger  women  who  looked  a  great  deal 
older." 

"Oh,  Dick,  Dick,  Cousin  Dick,  don't  turn 
flatterer,"  she  laughed,  though  looking  not  at 
all  displeased.  "Though  I  am  not  very  sorry 
to  hear  such  flattering  remarks,  as  they  are 
evidently  pleasing  to  my  children." 

"Indeed  they  are,"  said  Violet;  "all  the 
more  so  because  we  see  that  they  are  perfectly 
truthful." 

"Well,  it  is  high  time  that  we  busy  doctors 
and  proposed  letter  writers  were  going  home," 
said  Dr.  Percival,  rising  to  take  leave. 

"Yes,"  said  Maud,  following  his  example, 
"especially  as  Elsie  P.  and  Elsie  J.  must  be 
wanting  their  mothers  by  this  time." 

"So  we  are  off  for  Torriswood,"  said  Sidney. 
"G-ood-by,  dear  friends  and  relatives,  till  next 
time.  We  hope  to  have  this  call  returned 
223 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

this  evening  or  to-morrow  morning,"  and 
with  that  the  four  took  their  departure. 

"And  I  must  write  at  once  to  dear  Lu  a 
letter  of  warm  congratulation,"  said  Grace, 
following  her  father  into  the  library,  and 
being  herself  followed  by  Dr.  Harold,  an 
nouncing  his  intention  to  do  likewise. 

They  were  all  letters  which,  when  received 
by  Lucilla,  seemed  to  her  very  sweet  and  re 
freshing,  her  father's  even  more  so  than 
either  of  the  other  two.  But  before  they 
reached  her  she  and  Chester  had  had  several 
messages  from  him  by  telegram  or  telephone. 
And  all  these  were  shared  with  Evelyn,  Lu- 
cilla's  constant,  loved  companion  and  dear 
sister.  Most  of  them  also  by  the  nearby 
friends  and  relatives,  whose  love  and  sym 
pathy  were  shown  by  almost  daily  calls  and 
hours  of  pleasant  intercourse. 

No  one  came  oftener  or  showed  more  sym 
pathy  and  kindness  than  Zoe,  Mrs.  Edward 
Travilla. 

"I  am  glad  for  you,  Lu,  that  your  baby  is  a 
224 


ELSIE   AND    HER    NAMESAKES 

boy,  since  that  was  what  you  wanted,"  she 
remarked  to  Lucilla  one  day;  "but  for  my 
part,  if  I  have  another  child  I  hope  it  may 
be  a  girl,  so  that  I  can  name  it  for  mamma. 
She  is  and  has  always  been  such  a  dear,  kind 
mother  to  me." 

"Yes,  she  is  certainly  one  of  the  dearest  and 
sweetest  of  women,"  responded  Lucilla 
heartily ;  "but  there  are  so  many  Elsies  that  it 
really  seems  a  little  confusing.  I  believe  I 
should  rather  like  to  have  one  myself  if  that 
were  not  the  case,"  she  added  laughingly, 
"for  I  do  dearly  love  Grandma  Elsie,  as  I 
have  been  used  to  calling  her.  My,  what  a 
mixed-up  set  we  are  becoming!  For,  as  you 
know,  she  is  mother  now  to  my  sister  Grace." 

"Who,  to  my  delight,  is  my  sister  now,  since 
she  is  the  wife  of  my  husband's  brother,"  re 
turned  Zoe  exultingly. 

"And  mine,  since  I  am  the  wife  of  her 
brother,"  laughed  Evelyn.  "Oh,  we  are  a 
mixed-up  set,  but  perhaps  none  the  less  happy 
and  well  off  for  that." 

225 


"No,  I  think  not,"  said  Zoe. 

"And  I  am  quite  sure  of  it,"  said  Lucilla; 
"and  as  my  husband  is  a  distant  relative  of 
yours,  Zoe,  you  and  I  can  claim  kin,  can't 
we?" 

"Yes,  and  we  will.  We  will  call  ourselves 
cousins  from  this  time  forward." 

"And  as  my  Aunt  Elsie,  Grandma  Elsie's 
oldest  daughter,  is  sister  to  your  husband, 
can't  you  and  I  claim  kin,  Zoe?"  asked 
Evelyn. 

"Certainly,"  promptly  replied  Zoe ;  "we  will 
consider  ourselves  cousins  now." 

"So  we  will ;  it  is  a  very  comfortable  way  to 
settle  matters,"  laughed  Evelyn.  "We  have 
been  calling  you  Aunt  Zoe,  but  you  are  too 
young  for  that,  and  we  have  been  growing 
up  to  you  in  age." 

"So  you  have.  Well,  how  soon  do  you  ex 
pect  our  kith  and  kin  to  come  from  Viamede 
to  their  more  northern  homes  ?" 

"Father  says  in  two  or  three  weeks,"  replied 

Lucilla,  "and  I  hope  I  shall  be  allowed  to  sit 

226 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

up  by  that  time.  Oh,  you  don't  know  how  I 
long  to  show  him  my  little  Ray  of  Sunshine  1" 
she  added,  gently  patting  the  sleeping  babe 
by  her  side.  "Oh,  both  Chester  and  I  want 
very  much  to  have  him  resemble  his  grand 
father,  my  dear  father,  in  looks,  character 
and  everything." 

"As  I  hope  and  believe  he  will,"  said  Zoe  in 
tones  of  sympathy  and  encouragement. 


227 


CHAPTER  XVII 

&T  Viamede,  Chester's  daily  message  by 
'phone  or  telegraph  was  eagerly  awaited  and 
greatly  rejoiced  over,  as  it  reported  steady 
improvement  in  Lucilla's  health,  constant 
gaining  in  strength,  and  the  new  baby  also  in 
most  flourishing  condition.  All  wanted  to  see 
him;  no  one  more  than  Grace,  who  felt 
that  the  child  of  her  beloved  only  own  sister 
must  and  would  be  very  near  and  dear  to  her, 
while  to  the  others  he  was  fully  as  near  and 
dear  as  darling  Baby  Mary. 

They  would  have  returned  home  immedi 
ately  but  for  the  fact  that  Dr.  Harold  and  his 
brother  physicians  considered  it  safer  for  both 
Grace  and  Ned  to  remain  in  the  warmer 
climate  until  some  day  late  in  May. 

The  older  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dinsmore  and  the 
Oaks  and  Fairview  families  went  home  some 
what  earlier,  travelling  by  rail,  but  Mr.  and 
228 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

Mrs.  Lilburn  accepted  an  invitation  to  return 
in  the  Dolphin,  as  did  Grandma  Elsie ;  and, 
of  course,  Grace  and  Harold  were  to  be  pas 
sengers  in  her,  making  with  Violet,  her  two 
children,  and  the  captain  himself  quite  a 
party — much  the  same  party  that  had  come 
in  her. 

During  these  weeks  of  waiting  they  con 
tinued  their  pleasant  little  excursions  by  land 
and  water  and  their  sociable  evening  parties 
on  the  veranda,  or  out  under  the  trees,  gen 
erally  enlivened  by  exhibitions  of  Cousin 
Ronald's  ventriloquial  skill,  or  made  interest 
ing  by  a  bit  of  history  or  some  sort  of  story 
told  by  Captain  Raymond. 

On  Sunday  mornings  they  all  attended 
church  and  heard  a  sermon  by  their  pastor, 
the  Rev.  Cyril  Keith,  and  in  the  afternoon 
the  colored  people  were  invited  to  assemble  on 
the  lawn,  when  the  captain  would  give  them  a 
brief  and  plain  discourse  about  the  dear  Lord 
Jesus  and  His  dying  love,  making  the  way 
of  salvation  very  clear  and  plain.  They 
229 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

would  have  prayer,  too,  and  the  singing  of 
gospel  hymns,  the  colored  people  joining  in 
with  fervor  and  in  many  cases  rich  melody, 
having  beautiful  voices. 

In  the  evening  the  captain  would  catechise 
his  own  children,  and  there  would  be  religious 
conversation  and  the  singing  of  hymns.  They 
were  sweet,  peaceful,  improving  Sabbaths,  en 
joyable  at  the  time  and  pleasant  to  look  back 
upon.  It  was  on  a  lovely  morning  in  the 
latter  part  of  May  that  they  left  beautiful 
Viamede  and  sailed  away  for  their  more 
northern  homes,  going  with  mingled  feelings 
of  joy  and  sorrow,  for  who  could  leave  Via 
mede  or  part  with  the  dear  relatives  in  that 
region  without  regret  ?  Or  who  could  fail  to 
rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  soon  seeing  the 
sweet  homes  for  which  they  were  now  bound 
and  the  tenderly  loved  ones  there? 

Harold  was  very  happy  in  the  consciousness 

of  being  able  to  take  both  Grace  and  Ned 

back  to  their  home  in  almost  perfect  health, 

and  very  careful  was  he  to  watch  against  any 

230 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

exposure  for  them  to  wind  or  weather  that 
might  result  in  the  renewal  of  any  of  their 
ailments.  When  the  weather  was  bright, 
clear  and  not  too  cold  he  encouraged  them 
to  be  on  the  deck  in  the  bracing  air,  but  in 
cloudy  or  damp  weather  insisted  on  their  re 
maining  below  in  saloon  or  stateroom. 

At  such  times  Grandma  Elsie,  Cousin  Ron 
ald  or  the  captain  would  be  called  upon  to 
provide  entertainment,  and  one  or  another 
was  sure  to  comply. 

"Papa,"  said  Elsie  Raymond  on  one  of  these 
occasions,  "I  should  like  it  very  much  if  you 
would  give  us  a  little  history  of  Texas." 

"If  I  should  attempt  to  give  you  all  its 
history  it  would  be  a  very  long  story,"  he 
said  with  a  smile;  "but  I  shall  give  a  brief 
outline  and  try  to  make  it  interesting,  for  I 
want  you  to  have  some  knowledge  of  the  early 
history  of  each  of  our  States. 

"A  colony   of   Frenchmen  were   the   first 

whites  who  settled  in  Texas.    They  were  led 

by  La  Salle.     He  meant  to  found  a  colony; 

231 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

near  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  but  by 
mistake  entered  Matagorda  Bay,  went  five  or 
six  miles  up  the  Lavaca,  and  there  built  Fort 
St.  Louis.  That  was  about  the  year  1686. 
In  the  spring  of  the  next  year  he  was  mur 
dered  by  his  men.  They  had  been  quarrel 
ling  and  killing  each  other,  and  when  the 
Indians  heard  of  the  death  of  La  Salle  they 
attacked  the  fort  and  killed  all  the  men  left 
but  four,  whom  they  carried  into  captivity. 
Some  two  years  later  a  Spanish  expedition 
sailed  into  Matagorda  Bay,  intending  to  drive 
away  the  French,  but  found  they  were  gone 
and  their  fort  destroyed.  A  few  years  after 
ward  several  settlements  were  made  in  that 
State — what  is  now  that  State — by  the  Span 
iards,  but  soon  abandoned  because  of  Indian 
hostilities. 

"It  seems  that  both  the  Spaniards  and 
French  considered  the  province  their  own, 
though  it  did  not  really  belong  to  either  of 
them,  for  the  Indians  were  the  rightful 
owners.  In  1712,  Louis  XIV.  of  France 

232 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

granted  it  to  Crozat,  the  man  to  whom  he  had 
granted  Louisiana.  That  so  alarmed  the 
Spaniards  in  Mexico  that  they  promptly 
made  numerous  settlements  in  Texas,  think 
ing  in  that  way  to  secure  the  province  for 
themselves.  The  French  tried  to  expel  them, 
but  did  not  succeed. 

''Some  years  later  four  hundred  families 
were  sent  by  the  Spanish  Government  from 
the  Canary  Isles  to  Texas,  and  joined  there 
by  others  from  Mexico.  These  founded  the 
city  of  San  Antonio. 

"For  some  time  the  Indians  of  Texas  and 
Louisiana  were  very  troublesome,  but  in  1732 
the  Spaniards  defeated  them  in  a  great  battle, 
and  so  quieted  them  for  some  years. 

"You  know  our  Revolutionary  War  began 
in  1775.  Spain  declared  war  against  Eng 
land  in  1779  and  carried  on  active  hostilities 
against  the  British  on  the  Mississippi.  Then 
a  prosperous  trade  was  carried  on  between 
the  Spanish  settlement  of  Natchez,  in  Missis 
sippi,  and  the  interior  of  Texas,  and  became 
233 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

the  means  of  making  that  province  known 
to  the  Americans. 

"After  the  United  States  came  into  posses 
sion  of  Louisiana,  a  treaty  between  them  and 
Spain  fixed  the  Sabine  River  as  the  eastern 
boundary  of  Texas  upon  the  gulf.  West  of 
that  river  was  a  tract  called  the  Neutral 
Ground,  occupied  by  bands  of  outlaws  and 
desperate  men,  who  lived  by  robbery  and 
plunder.  The  Spanish  authorities  had  tried 
to  expel  them,  but  could  not.  Our  govern 
ment  sent  a  force  against  them  and  drove 
them  away,  but  they  came  back  and  went  on 
with  their  robberies. 

"About  that  time  a  civil  war  was  raging  in 
Mexico,  and  that  favored  the  plans  of  a  man 
who  wanted  to  conquer  Texas  to  the  Rio 
Grande  and  establish  a  republican  govern 
ment.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  fighting  and 
much  slaughter  of  both  Americans  and  Span 
iards,  the  latter  being  victors  in  the  end ;  but 
I  shall  not  go  into  particulars  at  this  time, 
but  leave  you  young  people  to  read  the  whole 
234 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

sad  story  when  you  are  older.  For  years  it 
was  fighting,  wounding,  killing,  the  Mexicans 
murdering  many  Americans  in  cold  blood 
after  they  had  surrendered  as  prisoners  of 
war.  But  at  last  the  independence  of  Texas 
was  secured.  And  after  a  little  she  asked  to 
be  annexed  to  the  United  States,  which  re 
quest  was  finally  granted.  By  a  joint  resolu 
tion  of  Congress  she  was  annexed  to  the 
Union  on  February  28,  1845." 

"She  seceded  in  the  time  of  the  Civil  War, 
did  she  not,  papa?"  asked  Grace. 

"Yes,"  he  replied ;  "but  was  readmitted  into 
the  Union  in  March,  1870." 

"Texas  is  a  very  big  State,  isn't  it,  papa  3" 
asked  Elsie. 

"Yes,  the  largest  of  all  our  States,"  he  re 
plied  ;  "and  it  has  every  variety  of  surface — 
plain,  mountain,  hill  and  desert.  Its  coast 
is  lined  with  a  chain  of  low  islands,  forming 
a  series  of  bays,  lagoons  and  sounds.  There 
are  a  number  of  rivers,  several  of  them  very 
long;  1800  miles  is  the  length  of  the  Rio 
235 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Grande,  which  is  the  largest  of  them.  It 
forms  the  southwestern  boundary.  There  is 
a  salt  lake  near  it,  from  which  large  quan 
tities  of  salt  are  taken  every  year." 

"The  climate  is  warm,  is  it  not,  papa?" 
asked  Grace. 

"Yes,"  he  said;  "it  claims  to  be  called  the 
Italy  of  America.  It  has  a  delightful,  un 
wavering  summer  sea  breeze  and  the  nights 
are  always  cool  enough  to  make  a  blanket 
acceptable,  even  when  the  day  has  been 
oppressively  hot.  But  now  that  surely  is 
enough  of  that  one  State  for  to-day." 

"Yes,  papa,  and  many  thanks  to  you  for 
giving  us  so  interesting  an  account,"  said 
Grace.  Elsie  and  Ned  added  their  thanks, 
then  Elsie  took  up  a  book,  and  Ned  went  to 
his  berth  for  a  nap. 


236 


CHAPTEE  XVHI 

GRANDMA  ELSIE,  Violet  and  Grace  were  all 
sewing  on  some  delicate  pink  silk  material, 
trimming  it  with  bows  of  ribbon  of  the  same 
color  and  duchess  lace.  Young  Elsie  pres 
ently  drew  near  and  asked  what  they  were 
making. 

"Guess,"  laughed  her  mother.  "What  does 
it  look  like?" 

"As  if  it  might  be  going  to  be  a  baby 
afghan,"  ventured  the  little  girl.  "Oh,  is  it 
one  for  Sister  Lu's  new  baby  ?" 

"It  is,"  returned  her  mother;  "you  must 
indeed  be  a  bit  of  a  Yankee  to  guess  so 
well." 

"I  believe  I  am,  as  papa  says  he  is  one/' 
replied  Elsie.  "I  hope  it  will  be  as  pretty 
as  the  one  you  made  for  Baby  Mary's  car 
riage.  Oh,  are  you  going  to  give  little  Kay 
a  carriage,  too  ?" 

237 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Yes,  indeed;  we  must  do  all  for  him  that 
we  did  for  his  little  cousin." 

"But  you  use  different  colors,  so  that  they 
will  always  know  which  is  which,  don't  you, 
mamma  ?" 

"Yes,  for  that  reason  and  because  of  the 
different  complexions  of  the"  two  children. 
Mary  is  fair,  golden  haired  and  has  blue  eyes, 
while  Ray  has  his  mother's  dark  eyes  and 
hair." 

"Oh,  yes,  and  I  think  it's  nice  that  they 
differ  in  that  way,  and  really  suppose  one  is 
just  about  as  pretty  as  the  other.  Anyhow, 
I  expect  to  think  so,  because  I'm  aunt  to  both 
of  them." 

"That's  right,"  laughed  her  mother ;  "be  as 
impartial  as  you  can." 

"Mary  we  know  to  be  a  dear  little  thing, 
whom  no  one  with  any  heart  could  help  lov 
ing,"  said  Grandma  Elsie,  "and  I  am  pretty 
certain  we  will  find  Ray  equally  lovable/' 

"And  isn't  he  some  relation  to  you,  grand 
ma  ?"  asked  Elsie. 

238 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Yes,  through  his  father,  who  is  a  Dins- 
more — a  cousin  of  mine.  Lucilla's  married 
name  is  the  same  as  was  my  maiden  name." 

"And  Lu  is  my  sister,  and  that  makes  me 
aunt  to  the  dear  little  fellow,  just  as  I  am 
to  Brother  Max's  little  daughter.  I  think 
it's  nice  to  be  aunt  to  such  dear  babies." 

From  that  time  on  Elsie  watched  with  great 
interest  the  work  of  getting  the  little  coach 
quite  ready  for  its  intended  baby  owner, 
which  was  entirely  completed  before  the 
Dolphin  reached  the  dock  at  Uniontown. 
Meantime,  great  preparations  for  the  coming 
of  her  passengers  had  been  going  on  at  Wood- 
burn,  Ion,  the  Laurels,  Riverside,  Fairview, 
Eoselands,  Sunnyside  and  Beechwood.  Nearly 
all  the  relatives  from  those  places  met  them 
on  the  landing,  ready  to  convey  them  to  their 
homes,  or  wherever  they  might  want  to  go. 
But  that  was  to  Woodburn  for  all,  the  cap 
tain  told  them,  great  preparations  having 
been  made  there,  by  his  orders  sent  on  some 
days  previously,  for  a  grand  welcoming  feast. 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

The  Woodburn  and  Sunnyside  carriages 
were  in  waiting,  were  entered  as  soon  as  the 
glad  greetings  had  been  exchanged,  and  all 
went  on  their  way  rejoicing. 

Lucilla,  now  quite  able  to  be  up  and  about, 
was  there  in  the  library,  with  her  babe  sleep 
ing  in  a  crib  by  her  side.  She  would  stay 
there,  she  told  Eva,  who,  with  her  baby,  sat 
there  with  her;  that  she  would  want  her 
father  to  come  to  her  there  and  see  her  and 
Ray  alone  before  she  should  meet  the  others. 
"I  want  a  private  interview  first,  if  only  for 
five  minutes,"  she  said.  "Then  I  shall  be 
ready  and  glad  to  see  the  others." 

"I  shall  see  that  it  is  as  you  wish,  dear 
sister,"  said  Evelyn,  and  she  kept  her  word. 
The  captain  met  her  and  Baby  Mary  as  he 
stepped  upon  the  veranda,  gave  a  warm  em 
brace  to  each,  then  sent  a  hurried  glance 
around,  evidently  in  search  of  Lucilla. 

"Sister  Lu  wants  to  see  you  alone  first, 
father,  and  show  you  her  baby  boy — your 
first  grandson — with  no  one  else  to  look  on," 
240 


ELSIE    AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

Evelyn  said  with  a  smile.  "She  is  in  the 
library  waiting  for  you." 

"Ah,  yes,  that  is  well,"  he  said,  and  hastened 
there  while  the  others  were  still  engaged  in 
the  exchange  of  greetings. 

As  he  entered  Lucilla  started  to  her  feet 
with  a  glad  cry,  "Oh,  father,  father,  my  own 
dear  father!" 

He  caught  her  in  his  arms  and  held  her  fast, 
caressing  her  with  exceeding  tenderness. 

"'My  darling,  my  own  dear,  dear  child.  God 
be  thanked  that  I  come  home  to  find  you  here, 
restored  to  usual  health  and  strength." 

"And  you,  father?  You  are  well?"  she 
asked,  looking  lovingly  into  his  eyes. 

"Quite  well,  daughter  mine,"  he  answered 
with  another  tender  caress,  "and  if  I  were 
not,  the  sight  of  this  dear  child  of  mine  would 
be  almost  enough  to  make  me  so." 

"And  the  sight  of  your  new  grandchild,  your 

first  grandson,  might  help  the  cure,  might  it 

not?"   she  answered  with  a  proud,   joyful 

glance  directed  at  the  tiny  sleeper  in  the  crib* 

241 


ELSIE   "AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Ah,  what  a  darling!"  her  father  said,  re 
leasing  her  and  leaning  over  the  crib.  "His 
grandfather's  heart  has  wide  room  in  it  for 
him.  He  is  a  beautiful  babe  in  his  grand- 
eire's  eyes,  a  dear  one  to  his  grandfather's 
heart.  I  feel  very  rich  with  two  lovely  grand 
children." 

"May  I  come  in?"  asked  Violet's  voice  at 
the  door. 

"Oh,  yes,  indeed,  Mamma  Vi,"  answered 
Lucilla  in  joyous  tones.  "How  glad  I  am 
to  have  you  at  home  again,"  she  added  as  they 
exchanged  a  hearty  embrace.  "Now  come 
and  look  at  my  baby  boy,  my  little  Ray  of 
Sunshine,  from  Sunnyside,"  she  added  with 
a  gleeful  laugh. 

Violet's  expressed  admiration  was  quite 
equal  to  the  mother's  wishes.  "Oh,  he  is  a 
lovely  little  fellow!"  she  exclaimed,  leaning 
over  the  crib  as  his  grandfather  had  done; 
"and  it's  so  fortunate  that  it  is  a  boy,  so  that 
now  we  have  both  granddaughter  and  grand- 
ion." 

242 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Just  then  Grace's  voice  at  the  door  asked, 
"May  I  come  in  ?" 

"Indeed  you  may!"  cried  Lucilla,  running 
to  meet  her  with  delighted  look  and  out 
stretched  arms.  "Oh,  Gracie  dear,  how  I 
have  been  longing  for  you,  to  see  your  dear 
face  and  show  you  my  new  treasure,  my  son 
and  your  nephew.  Come  and  look  at  him." 

The  words  were  accompanied  by  an  ardent 
embrace  each  to  the  other,  then  Lucilla  drew 
Grace  to  the  side  of  the  crib,  the  captain  and 
Violet  making  room  for  her  there,  and  bend 
ing  over  it  she  exclaimed,  "Oh,  Lu,  what  a 
darling,  beautiful  little  fellow!  As  pretty, 
as  lovely  and  sweet  looking  as  Max  and  Eva's 
little  Mary,  whom  we  all  love  so  dearly." 

Just  then  other  voices  were  heard  at  the 
door,  asking  permission  to  enter,  familiar 
voices — those  of  Dr.  Harold,  Elsie  and 
Ned — and  it  being  granted,  the  children 
rushed  in,  the  doctor  following  with  the  baby 
carriage  that  had  been  trimmed  on  board 
the  Dolphin. 

243 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"A  gift  for  that  young  gentleman  from 
his  loving  grandsire,  Mrs.  Dinsmore," 
he  announced  with  a  graceful  bow  to 
Lucilla, 

"Oh,"  she  cried,  clapping  her  hands  in  de 
light,  "what  a  beauty!  Thank  you,  father 
dear,  and  you,  too,  Mamma  Vi,  and  Sister 
Grace,  for  the  beautiful  work  is  yours,  I 
know.  Oh,  how  good  and  kind  you  all  are 
to  me  and  my  baby  boy !"  She  was  gloating 
over  the  pretty  little  vehicle  and  its  adorn 
ment  as  she  spoke.  "What  lovely  lace  and 
ribbons,  the  colors  exactly  such  as  will  show 
off  to  the  best  advantage  my  baby  boy's  com 
plexion,  hair  and  eyes.  It  is  a  delightful 
surprise,  for  I  was  not  expecting  anything  of 
the  kind." 

"I  am  very  glad  it  pleases  you,  my  dear 
daughter,"  her  father  said,  with  his  own  kind 
emile,  and  laying  a  hand  affectionately  upon 
her  shoulder. 

'"As  I  am,"  said  Violet;  "and  I  want  yon 
lo  know  that  mamma  helped  largely  with*  the 
244 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

work  of  trimming  the  little  coach.  Your 
baby  boy  is  related  to  her,  she  says." 

"Yes,  and  I  am  glad  to  know  it,"  smiled 
Lucilla;  "and  glad  that  my  marriage  gives 
me  some  small  claim  to  relationship  to  her. 
!No  one  could  have  a  right  to  claim  it  to  a 
better,  lovelier,  dearer  person." 

"That  is  true,  daughter,"  the  captain  said 
with  emotion. 

At  that  moment  Chester  came  in  with  a 
pleased  and  cordial  welcome  to  the  returned 
travellers,  and  presently  all  went  out  together 
to  join  the  others — returned  travellers,  dear 
relatives  and  welcome  guests. 

To  Grandma  Elsie  Lucilla  gave  the  warm 
est  of  greetings  and  thanks  for  her  share  in 
trimming  the  lovely  little  coach  for  her  baby 
boy. 

"You  are  very  welcome,  my  dear;  it  was  a 
labor  of  love,"  was  the  gentle-spoken,  smiling 
response. 

There  were  hearty  greetings,  loving  caresses, 
merry  jests  and  happy  laughter.  No  one  waa 
245 


ELSIE   rAND   HER   NAMESAKES 

weary,  for  voyaging  in  Captain  Raymond's 
well-conditioned,  well-furnished  yacht  was  no 
strain  upon  the  physical  nature ;  his  late  pas 
sengers  were,  therefore,  in  prime  condition, 
as  were  the  other  guests,  coming  from  luxuri 
ous  homes  and  not  weary  and  worn  with  toil 
beyond  their  strength. 

But  soon  came  the  call  to  the  hospitable 
board,  laden  with  all  the  luxuries  of  the  land 
and  season,  to  which  they  brought  good, 
healthful  appetites  and  where  were  enjoyed 
also  to  the  full  the  pleasures  of  social  inter 
course  between  those  nearly  related  and  of 
similar  views  and  temperament.  And  that 
last  went  on  after  they  had  left  the  table  for 
parlors  and  porches. 

But  at  length  the  guests  began  to  bid  adieu 
until  all  had  departed  except  the  Sunnyside 
folk,  who  still  sat  on  the  veranda  with  the 
immediate  Woodburn  family.  The  babies 
were  both  awake  now,  each  resting  on  its 
mother's  lap  or  in  her  arms. 

"I  feel  very  rich  with  two  sueK  grandchil- 
246 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

dren,"  observed  the  captain,  glancing  with  a 
happy  smile  from  one  to  the  other. 

"As  we  do,  though  they  are  not  our  grand 
children,"  laughed  Chester.  "Don't  we,  Lu 
and  Eva  ?" 

Both  ladies  replied  in  the  affirmative,  each 
looking  down  with  intense,  joyful  affection 
upon  her  little  one. 

"I  should  think  you  might,  because  they  are 
both  so  pretty,  sweet  and  good,"  remarked 
their  young  aunt  Elsie. 

"Of  course  they  are,  and  I'm  glad  to  be  their 
UMcle,"  said  ISTed. 

"As  I  am  to  be  yours,"  said  Dr.  Harold, 
drawing  him  to  a  seat  upon  his  knee.  "Are 
you  glad  to  be  at  home  again  ?" 

"Yes,  sir ;  and  glad  that  you  are  to  live  here 
in  our  house  now,  instead  of  taking  Gracie 
away  from  us  to  some  other  place." 

"I  should  be  sorry,  indeed,  to  take  her  away 

from  you  and  the  rest  of  the  family  here, 

and  I  don't  think  I  shall  ever  carry  her  G& 

very  far  from  you  and  the  others  who  lovo 

247 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

her  so  dearly,"  replied  Harold;  "but  you 
•wouldn't  mind  my  going,  if  I  left  her  behind 
•with  you,  would  you  ?" 

"Why  of  course  I  should,  uncle  doctor.  I 
might  get  sick  again  and  perhaps  die  if  I 
hadn't  you  to  cure  me." 

"Oh,  that  needn't  follow  while  you  have 
your  other  uncles — my  brother  Herbert  and 
Dr.  Arthur  Conly.  Either  of  them  would 
be  as  likely  to  succeed  in  curing  you  as  I." 

"By  the  blessing  of  God  upon  their  efforts," 
said  the  captain.  "But  without  that  no  one 
could  succeed." 

"Most  true,  sir,  and  I  did  not  mean  to  ignore 
that  undeniable  and  important  fact,"  said  Dr. 
Harold.  "I  never  use  a  remedy  without 
craving  His  blessing  upon  it,  and  I  desire 
to  give  to  Him  all  the  glory  and  the  praise." 

"Yes,  we  know  you  do,  brother  dear,"  said 
Violet,  "and  that  is  why  we  are  so  ready  to 
trust  our  dear  ones  to  your  care  when  they 
are  ill." 

"And  please  understand  that  I  was  not 
248 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

doubting  that  or  your  knowledge  or  skill," 
added  Captain  Raymond  with  most  cordial 
look  and  tone. 

Just  then  a  colored  man  was  seen  coming 
up  the  driveway  with  two  little  monkeys  in 
his  arms. 

"Oh,"  cried  the  children  in  delighted  chorus, 
"there  are  our  tee-tees.  Ajax  has  brought 
them  from  Ion."  And  they  ran  to  meet  him, 
holding  out  their  arms  to  their  pets. 

"Yaas,  little  massa  and  missus,  I'se  brung 
um,  an'  I  reckon  dey's  glad  to  come,"  re 
turned  Ajax,  loosening  his  hold,  when  the 
little  fellows  sprang  from  his  arms  to  those 
of  their  young  master  and  mistress,  who  at 
once  carried  them  up  into  the  veranda  and  ex 
hibited  them  with  great  pride  and  pleasure, 
while  the  captain  stepped  down  to  the  side  of 
Ajax  and  rewarded  him  liberallv  for  the  ser 
vice  done;  thanking  him, too, and  bidding  him 
carry  warm  thanks  to  those  who  had  cared 
for  the  little  animals  and  returned  them  ia 
prime  condition. 

249 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"We  are  so  glad  to  get  them  back,  the  dear, 
funny  little  fellows,"  remarked  Elsie  to  Lu- 
cilla  and  Evelyn;  "and  they  will  make  fun 
for  our  little  nephew  and  niece  when  they  are 
old  enough  to  understand  and  enjoy  it." 

"Thank  you,  Elsie  dear,"  returned  Eva  with 
her  own  sweet  smile. 

"You  are  very  kind,  Sister  Elsie,  to  begin 
so  soon  to  think  of  amusement  for  our  babies," 
laughed  Lucilla,  "and  I  hope  you  and  !N"ed 
may  be  able  to  keep  your  monkeys  alive  and 
well  till  they  are  old  enough  to  enjoy  them." 

"Yes,  indeed,  I  hope  so,"  responded  Elsie. 
<fl  want  both  Mary  and  Ray  to  have  lots  of 
fun  when  they  are  old  enough  for  it." 

"Yes,"  said  Dr.  Harold,  "I  am  always  in 
favor  of  timely,  innocent  fun  as  a  great  pro 
moter  of  health." 

"Yes,"  said  Lucilla,  "  'laugh  and  grow  fat* 
is  an  old  adage,  and  we'll  try  to  have  our 
babies  do  it,  won't  we,  Eva  ?" 

"I  certainly  intend  to  do  all  I  can  to  make 
my  darling  bit  lassie  botK  healthy  and  happy/' 
250 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

returned  Evelyn,  looking  down  with  a  tender, 
loving  smile  at  the  little  one  on  her  knee. 
"But  fun  and  frolic  need  not  fill  up  all  the 
time.  There  is  a  quiet  kind  of  happiness  that 
would  be  better  as  a  steady  diet,  I  think,  than 
constant  frolic  and  fun.  I  hope  she  will  be 
a  contented  little  body,  for  there  is  much 
truth  and  wisdom  in  that  other  old  adage, 
'Contentment  is  better  than  wealth/  " 

Both  Violet  and  the  captain  expressed  warm 
approval  of  her  sentiments,  as  did  Lucilla, 
Chester  and  Dr.  Harold  also. 

"But  I'd  like  to  have  some  fun  now  with 
our  tee-tees,"  said  Ned,  stroking  and  patting 
his  as  he  held  it  in  his  arms.  "I  wish  we  had 
Max  or  Cousin  Ronald  here  to  make  them 
talk." 

"I'd  wish  so,  too,  if  it  would  do  any  good," 
said  Elsie. 

"No,"  laughed  Lucilla,  "it  wouldn't,  and 
I  am  reminded  of  the  old  saying,  'If  wishes 
•were  horses,  then  beggars  might  ride.' ' 

"As  you  two  are  so  glad  to  get  your  tee-tees 
251 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

back  again,  don't  you  feel  sorry  for  Lily  and 
Laurie,  that  they  had  to  part  with  them?" 
asked  Violet. 

"Yes,  mamma,"  replied  Ned,  "I  do;  but 
they  have  had  them  a  good  while." 

"I'm  sorry  for  them,"  Elsie  said  in  a  regret 
ful  tone,  "and  I  wish  we  could  buy  them 
tee-tees  or  something  else  that  they'd  like  just 
as  well." 

"Perhaps  we  can,"  said  their  father.  "We 
will  think  about  it." 

"Oh,  papa,  I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  that," 
she  said  in  joyous  tones,  "for  I  do  feel  sorry 
for  them." 

"And  so  do  I,"  said  Ned ;  "sorry  enough  to 
give  all  the  pocket  money  I  have  now  to  buy 
them  something  nice." 


252 


CHAPTEK  XIX 

'AT  Ion  was  now  gathered  as  pleasant  m 
family  party  as  that  now  in  session  at  Wood- 
burn.  Grandma  Elsie  was  there  with  her 
father  and  his  wife,  her  son  Edward  with 
Zoe,  his  wife,  and  their  two  children,  the 
twins  Laurie  and  Lily,  Ion  being  their  home. 
Herbert  and  Walter  were  also  present,  and 
all  the  Fairview  folk ;  for  Mrs.  Elsie  Leland 
wanted  a  chat  on  family  affairs  and  relatives 
with  her  mother,  whom,  until  to-day,  she  had 
not  seen  for  several  weeks ;  such  a  chat  as  they 
could  not  well  take  in  the  larger  company 
of  relatives  and  friends  whose  society  they 
had  just  been  enjoying  at  Woodburn.  And 
Mr.  Leland  and  his  little  daughters  had 
naturally  accompanied  the  wife  and  mother, 
knowing  that  they  were  always  welcome 
guests  at  Ion. 

They  seemed  to  be  enjoying  themselves,  && 
2S3 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

older  ones  in  a  quiet,  cheerful  way,  the 
younger  ones,  gathered  in  a  separate  group 
at  the  farther  end  of  the  veranda,  with  a  good 
deal  of  fun  and  frolic  until  Ajax  was  seen, 
coming  round  the  corner  of  the  house  with 
the  two  little  tee-tees  in  his  arms  and  passing 
down  the  driveway  in  the  direction  of  the 
front  entrance  to  the  grounds. 

"Ajax,  what  are  you  doing  with  those  little 
monkeys?  Where  are  you  taking  them?'* 
cried  Lily,  hurrying  down  the  steps  and  run 
ning  after  him. 

"Ober  to  Woodburn,  where  dey  b'long,  Miss 
Lily,"  he  answered,  pausing  in  his  walk  and 
turning  toward  her. 

"Oh,  I  wish  you  wouldn't.  I  was  most  in 
hopes  they'd  let  us  keep  them.  They  are  such 
funny  little  fellows,  I  don't  like  to  give  them 
up." 

"But  I'se  tole  to  take  'em  dar,  an'  I'se  got  to 
do  it,"  replied  Ajax  in  a  regretful  tone.  "I'll 
fetcH  'em  back  hyar  ef  de  Woodburn  folks 
low  me  to." 

254 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"But  they  won't.  They'll  be  sure  to  keep 
them  if  they're  there,"  sobbed  the  little  girl, 
tears  rolling  down  her  cheeks. 

But  even  as  she  spoke  a  hand  was  laid  gently 
on  her  shoulder,  and  her  father's  voice  said 
in  kindest  tones,  "Don't  cry,  daughter  dear. 
We  must  let  the  tee-tees  go  home  to  their 
owners,  but  you  and  Laurie  shall  have  other 
pets  in  place  of  them.  I  have  a  pretty 
Maltese  kitten  bought  for  you  and  a  fine 
dog  for  your  brother.  Come  back  to  the 
veranda  and  these  new  pets  shall  be  brought 
out." 

"Oh,  papa,  how  nice!  Thank  you  ever  so 
much!"  cried  Lily,  brushing  away  her  tears 
and  putting  her  hand  in  his  to  be  led  back 
to  the  veranda,  where  the  new  pets  were 
speedily  produced,  to  the  evident  delight  of 
the  young  owners  and  the  admiration  of  their 
guests. 

And  when  Ajax  returned  with  Captain  Ray 
mond's  kindly  expressed  thanks,  Lily's  grief 
seemed  fully  assuaged. 

255 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

The  older  people,  who  had  paused  in  their 
more  important  conversation  to  observe  what 
was  going  on  among  the  children,  now  re 
sumed  it,  Grandma  Elsie  asking  Walter  of  his 
engagements  during  the  past  winter.  He  re 
plied  that  he  had  been  busy  with  his  studies, 
but  had  found  some  time  for  missionary  work, 
especially  on  the  Sabbath,  among  the  poor 
and  degraded,  particularly  foreigners  of  the 
lower  class. 

"And,  mother,"  he  added,  "I  have  quite  de 
cided  that  I  want  to  go  into  the  ministry. 
I  want  to  be  a  missionary  to  the  poor  and 
needy,  the  ignorant  and  helpless." 

"My  dear  son,"  she  replied  with  emotion, 
"how  glad  I  am  to  hear  it !  I  want  you  to  be 
a  winner  of  souls,  a  helper  of  the  helpless, 
in  this,  your  own  land,  or  in  some  other; 
preferably  this,  because  you  will  be  nearer 
to  me  and  I  can  see  you  oftener." 

"Yes,  mother,"  he  returned,  "and  I  think 
I  could  hardly  find  a  better  field  than  among 
the  mountains  of  Kentucky  or  Tennessee." 
256 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"No,  I  don't  believe  you  could,"  said  his 
grandfather  approvingly.  "Those  moun 
taineers  are  our  own  people,  destitute  as  re 
gards  both  temporal  and  spiritual  things,  and 
have  a  prior  claim  to  that  of  those  in  heathen 
lands;  and  love  for  our  land  and  nation 
should  draw  us  strongly  to  their  aid, 
even  if  we  did  not  care  for  their  eternal 
salvation." 

Others  in  the  little  company  gave  expression 
to  similar  views  and  feelings,  then  they  dis 
cussed  ways  and  means  of  helping  the  work 
already  going  on  among  those  mountaineers, 
and  there  was  a  general  expression  of  inten 
tion  to  do  more  for  that  corner  of  the  Lord's 
vineyard  than  they  had  ever  yet  done. 

"And  by  way  of  carrying  out  our  intentions, 
suppose  we  take  up  a  collection  now,"  sug 
gested  Edward  Travilla. 

"I  doubt  if  that  would  be  our  wisest  course 
if  we  want  to  give  liberally,"  remarked  his 
sister  Elsie,  "for  I  presume  no  one  has  much 
in  hand  at  this  moment." 
257 


ELSIE   AND   BEE   NAMESAKES 

"So  I  dare  say  our  motto  just  now  would 
better  be  a  lazy  one,  'Not  to-day,  we'll  do  it 
to-morrow,"  laughed  Zoe. 

"Yes;  let  us  appoint  a  collector  for  to 
morrow,"  said  her  husband.  "I  propose 
Walter  for  the  job.  All  in  favor  say  'aye.'  " 
An  invitation  which  all  immediately  ac 
cepted. 

"I  am  quite  willing,"  he  said,  "and  shall  in 
clude  Woodbnrn  folks  and  maybe  some  of  the 
other  nearby  relatives  in  my  list  of  hoped-for 
and  tried-for  subscribers.  I  expect  to  beg  in 
good  season  to-morrow  morning.  So  please 
all  be  ready  for  prompt  compliance  with  my 
solicitation." 

Then  Mr.  Dinsmore  suggested  that  it  might 
be  well  now  to  have  the  evening  family  de 
votions  ere  the  young  folks  grew  too  weary 
and  sleepy  to  enjoy  a  share  in  them,  and  in 
response  all  were  called  within  doors  and  the 
service  held. 

About  the  same  time  similar  services  were 
going  on  at  Woodburn,  after  whicH  the  Sun- 
258 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

njside  folk  bade  good-night  and  sought  their 
own  homes,  Chester  drawing  Ray  in  his  new 
coach  and  a  servant  doing  a  like  service  for 
Baby  Mary,  her  devoted  mother  walking  close 
by  the  side  of  the  dainty  little  vehicle. 

The  next  morning  Chester  set  off  for  his 
place  of  business  at  his  usual  hour,  and  just 
as  he  disappeared  down  the  road,  Lucilla,  still 
standing  upon  the  veranda,  saw,  to  her  de 
light,  her  father  approaching  from  Wood- 
burn. 

"Oh,  father,"  she  cried,  "I  am  so  glad  to 
see  you." 

"Are  you?"  he  said,  coming  up  the  steps 
and  taking  her  in  his  arms  for  a  tender 
caress;  "well,  daughter  dear,  the  joy  is 
mutual.  How  is  my  little  grandson  this 
morning  ?" 

"Well,  I  believe,  father,  but  still  asleep. 
Won't  you  come  in  and  have  a  cup  of 
coffee  ?" 

He  accepted  the  invitation,  and  they  chatted 

together  while  she  finished  her  breakfast, 

259 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Chester's  hurried  departure  having  called  her 
away  from  the  table  a  trifle  too  soon. 

The  nurse  girl  brought  Ray  in,  ready 
washed  and  dressed  for  the  day,  just  as  they 
finished  their  meal. 

"Give  him  to  me,"  said  the  captain,  and 
taking  him  in  his  arms,  carried  him  out  to  the 
veranda,  Lucilla  following. 

It  was  a  warm  morning,  and  they  sat  down 
there  side  by  side. 

"To  his  grandfather  he  seems  a  lovely  little 
darling,"  the  captain  said,  caressing  the  child 
as  he  spoke.  "Lucilla,  my  daughter,  I  hope 
you  will  prove  a  good,  kind,  patient,  faithful 
mother,  bringing  him  up  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord." 

"Oh,  father,"  she  replied  in  tones  tremulous 
with  emotion,  "I  want  to  do  so,  but — oh,  you 
know  what  a  bad  natural  temper  I  have,  and 
I  very  much  fear  that  I  shall  not  always  be 
patient  with  him,  dearly  as  I  love  him." 

<fWatch  and  pray,  daughter  dear;  ask  the 
Lord  daily,  hourly  for  strength,  grace, 

260 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

wisdom  according  to  your  need.  God  is  the 
hearer  and  answerer  of  prayer.  He  says, 
'Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble;  I  will 
deliver  thee  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me.'  Trust 
in  Him,  and  He  will  deliver  you  from  the 
power  of  the  tempter  and  your  own  evil 
nature." 

"I  will,  father ;  I  do,"  she  said ;  "and  it  helps 
and  comforts  me  to  know  that  you  pray  for 
me;  especially  remembering  that  gracious, 
precious  promise  of  our  Lord,  'If  two  of  you 
shall  agree  on  earth,  as  touching  anything 
that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them 
of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.' ' 

"Yes,  it  is  indeed  a  gracious,  precious  prom 
ise,  and  can  never  fail,"  he  said.  "But  now 
I  must  go,  daughter.  Do  you  and  Eva  come 
over  to  Woodburn  again  to-day  as  early  as 
may  suit  your  convenience,"  he  added,  put 
ting  the  child  into  her  arms  and  giving  to  each 
a  good-by  caress. 

Shortly  after  breakfast  at  Ion  that  morning 
Walter  walked  over  to  Fairview  and  called 
261 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

upon  the  Lelands  for  their  contributions  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
mountaineers.  All,  father  and  mother  to 
youngest  child,  gave  liberally  in  proportion 
to  their  ability. 

"Oh,  I  am  delighted!"  exclaimed  Walter. 
"I  think  I  shall  go  on  and  present  the  cause 
to  all  the  kith  and  kin  in  this  neighborhood." 

"Do,"  said  his  sister;  "there  won't  be  one 
who  will  not  give  according  to  his  or  her 
ability.  And  when  through  with  this,  brother 
dear,  come  here  and  pay  us  as  long  a  visit  as 
you  can." 

"Thank  you,  I  think  I  shall,  especially  if 
you  get  mother  to  be  here  at  the  same  time; 
but  I  don't  want  to  miss  a  minute  of  her 
society." 

"Which  you  cannot  love  better  than  I  do," 
returned  his  sister,  with  a  look  that  said  more 
than  her  words,  "and  as  she  is  decidedly  fond 
of  us  both,  I  think  she  will  not  refuse  to  ac 
company  you  here  at  my  earnest  request,  or 
to  stay  as  long  as  you  do." 
262 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"No,  indeed ;  I  am  very  sure  she  won't.  I 
am  going  back  now  to  Ion,  and  mother  will 
go  with  me  in  the  gig  to  drive  round  to  the 
home  of  each  of  our  relatives  and  near  con 
nections  in  this  neighborhood,  and  ask  them 
to  give  what  they  can  or  like  to  give  to  this 
good  object.  We  will  take  Woodburn  last, 
and  get  either  Harold  or  the  captain  to  put 
the  money  in  the  right  shape — a  check,  I  sup 
pose — and  mail  it  so  that  it  will  reach  the 
spot  as  soon  as  possible." 

With  that  Walter  bade  good-by  and  hastened 
to  carry  out  his  programme,  which  he,  with 
his  mother's  help,  did  successfully,  every  one 
solicited  by  them  giving  liberally  to  the  good 
cause,  and  the  captain  attending  promptly 
to  the  dispatch  of  the  funds. 


263 


CHAPTER  XX 

THAT  May  day  ended  in  a  lovely  evening, 
•warm  enough  to  make  outside  air  the  most 
agreeable,  so  directly  after  an  early  tea  the 
Woodburn  family  gathered  upon  the  veranda, 
where  they  were  presently  joined  by  the 
Sunnyside  folk,  babies  and  all,  who  received 
the  warmest  of  welcomes,  though  they  had 
been  absent  from  the  older  home  but  a  few 
hours. 

Naturally  the  first  topic  of  conversation  re 
lated  to  that  day's  visit  from  Grandma  Elsie 
and  Walter  and  its  main  object — the  appeal 
for  help  to  the  good  work  going  on  among 
the  mountaineers  of  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 

nr\s\ 

P^d 

"I  am  glad  we  were  given  the  opportunity 

to  help  it,"  remarked  the  captain.     "It  has 

set  me  to  thinking  of  the  pioneers  and  early 

264 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

settlers  of  that  section  of  our  land.     Among 
them  Daniel  Boone  and  Simon  Kenton." 

"Oh,  papa,  please  tell  us  about  them!"  ex 
claimed  Elsie. 

"Some  time,  daughter,"  he  answered  pleas 
antly;  "but  the  rest  of  this  little  company 
may  not  care  to  hear  the  old  stories  repeated 
just  now." 

At  that  there  was  a  unanimous  expression 
of  desire  to  do  so,  and  he  presently  began. 

"Simon  Kenton's  lifetime  took  in  both  our 
wars  with  England,  as  he  was  born  in  1755 
and  lived  until  April,  1836.  Virginia  was 
his  native  State,  but  his  father  was  Irish  and 
his  mother  Scotch.  They  were  poor,  and 
Simon  received  but  little  education.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  had  a  fight  with  another 
young  fellow  named  William  Veach  about  a 
love  affair.  He  thought  he  had  killed  Veach, 
so  fled  over  the  Alleghanies.  There  he  called 
himself  Simon  Butler.  He  formed  friend 
ships  with  traders  and  hunters,  among  them 
Simon  Girty." 

265 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Girty,  that  cruel,  cruel  wretch!"  cried 
Elsie.  "How  could  anybody  want  to  have 
him  for  a  friend?" 

"He  was  a  bad,  cruel  man,"  replied  her 
father,  "but  perhaps  never  had  any  good 
teaching.  His  father  had  died  and  his 
mother  married  again,  and  they  were  all  taken 
prisoners  by  the  Indians  and  his  step-father 
burned  at  the  stake  when  Simon  Girty  was 
but  five  years  old.  It  was  three  years  before 
he  was  released,  and  I  do  not  know  that  he 
ever  had  any  education.  Many  cruel  deeds 
are  told  of  him,  but  he  was  really  a  good 
friend  to  Simon  Kenton,  and  once  saved  him 
from  being  burned  at  the  stake  by  the 
Indians. 

"But  to  go  back,  Kenton  was  soon  persuaded 
by  a  young  man  named  Yager,  who  had  been 
taken  by  the  Western  Indians  when  a  child, 
and  spent  a  good  many  years  among  them, 
to  go  with  him  to  a  land  called  by  the  Indians 
Kan-tuc-kee,  which  he  described  as  a  most 
delightful  place. 

266 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"They  two,  with  a  third  young  man  named 
Strader,  set  off  in  high  spirits,  expecting  to 
find  a  paradise.  But  they  wandered  througK 
the  wilderness  for  weeks  hoping  to  find  the 
promised  land,  but  without  success.  Then 
they  tried  hunting  and  trapping  for  nearly 
two  years.  But  being  discovered  by  the 
Indians,  they  had  to  abandon  those  hunting 
grounds  and  try  elsewhere;  but  to  tell  of  it 
all  would  make  too  long  a  story. 

"In  1778  Kenton  joined  Daniel  Boone  in 
his  expedition  against  the  Indian  town  on 
Paint  Creek.  On  his  return  from  that  he 
was  sent  by  Colonel  Bowman,  with  two  com- 

<fc 

panions,  to  make  observations  upon  the  In 
dian  towns  on  Little  Miami,  the  colonel  con 
sidering  the  idea  of  an  expedition  against 
them.  Kenton  reached  the  spot  in  safety,  and 
if  he  had  attended  only  to  what  he  was  sent 
to  do  he  might  have  succeeded  well  and  been 
very  useful  to  the  settlers  in  Kentucky,  but 
before  leaving  the  towns  he  stole  a  number 
of  the  Indians'  horses. 
267 


"The  Indians  missed  their  horses  early  the 
next  morning,  found  the  trail  of  those  who 
had  taken  them,  and  at  once  pursued  after 
them.  Kenton  and  his  companions  soon 
heard  the  cries  of  the  Indians  in  their  rear 
and  knew  they  were  being  pursued,  so  saw 
the  necessity  of  riding  for  their  lives,  which 
they  did,  dashing  through  the  woods  at  a 
furious  rate,  with  the  hue  and  cry  of  the 
Indians  after  them  ringing  in  their  ears ;  but 
suddenly  they  came  to  an  impenetrable 
swamp. 

"There  they  paused  a  few  moments,  listen 
ing  for  the  sounds  of  pursuit;  but  hearing 
none,  they  started  on  again,  skirted  the 
swamp  for  some  distance,  hoping  to  be  able 
to  cross  it,  but  finding  they  could  not,  they 
dashed  on  in  a  straight  line  for  the  Ohio. 
For  forty-eight  hours  they  continued  their 
furious  speed,  halting  only  once  or  twice  for 
a  few  minutes  to  eat  a  little,  and  reached  the 
Ohio  in  safety.  But  there  they  had  to  pause 
and  consider  what  to  do,  for  the  river  was 
268 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

high  and  rough  and  the  jaded  horses  could 
not  be  induced  to  try  to  swim  it.  The  men 
might  yet  have  escaped  if  they  had  only  aban 
doned  the  horses ;  but  that  Kenton  could  not 
make  up  his  mind  to  do.  He  and  his  com 
panions  consulted  over  the  matter,  and  feel 
ing  sure  that  they  were  as  much  as  twelve 
hours  in  advance  of  their  Indian  pursuers, 
they  decided  to  conceal  the  horses  in  the  near 
by  ravine  and  themselves  in  an  adjoining 
wood,  hoping  that  by  sunset  the  high  wind 
would  abate  and  the  river  become  quiet 
enough  for  them  to  cross  safely  with  the 
animals. 

"But  when  the  waited-for  time  came  the 
wind  was  higher  and  the  water  rougher  than 
ever.  Still  they  stayed  where  they  were 
through  the  night.  The  next  morning  was 
mild,  and  they  heard  no  sound  of  pursuing 
Indians,  so  they  again  tried  to  urge  the 
horses  over  the  river.  But  the  animals 
seemed  to  remember  its  condition  on  the  pre 
vious  day,  and  could  not  be  induced  to  go  into 
it  at  alL  269 


ELSIE   AND    HER    NAMESAKES 

"It  was  quite  a  drove  of  horses  they  had 
stolen,  but  now  they  found  they  must  aban 
don  all  but  the  three  they  could  mount;  so 
that  they  did,  and  started  down  the  river, 
with  the  intention  to  keep  the  Ohio  and  Indi 
ana  side  till  they  should  arrive  opposite 
Louisville. 

"But  they  had  waited  too  long,  and  even  now 
were  slow  in  carrying  out  their  intention. 
They  had  not  gone  more  than  a  hundred 
yards  on  their  horses  when  they  heard  a  loud 
halloo,  coming  apparently  from  the  spot  they 
had  just  left.  They  could  not  escape;  were 
quickly  surrounded  by  their  pursuers,  one  of 
Kenton's  companions  killed,  the  other,  effect 
ing  his  escape  while  Kenton  was  taken 
prisoner,  falling  a  victim  to  his  love  of 
horses." 

"I  suppose  he  deserved  it,  as  he  had  stolen 
the  horses,"  remarked  Elsie. 

"Yes,"  replied  her  father,  "he  had  no  more 
right  to  steal  from  the  Indians  than  from 
white  people,  and  his  sin  found  him  out." 
270 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Did  they  kill  him,  papa  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"No;  they  kicked  and  cuffed  him  as  much 
as  they  cared  to,  then  made  him  lie  down 
upon  his  back  and  stretch  his  arms  to 
their  full  length,  passed  a  stout  stick  across 
his  breast  and  fastened  his  wrists  to  each  ex 
tremity  of  it  by  thongs  of  buffalo-hide.  Then 
they  drove  stakes  into  the  ground  near  his 
feet  and  fastened  them  in  the  same  way. 
After  that  they  tied  a  halter  round  his  neck 
and  fastened  it  to  a  sapling  growing  near. 
Lastly  they  passed  a  strong  rope  under  his 
body,  wound  it  several  times  round  his  arms 
at  the  elbows,  so  lashing  them  to  the  stick 
which  lay  across  his  breast,  and  to  which  his 
wrists  were  fastened;  all  this  in  a  manner 
that  was  peculiarly  painful.  He  could  not 
move  at  all,  either  feet,  arms  or  head,  and 
was  kept  in  that  position  till  the  next  morn 
ing.  Then,  as  they  wanted  to  go  back  to  the 
spot  from  which  they  had  come,  they  un 
fastened  him,  put  him  on  the  back  of  a  wild, 
unbroken  colt,  one  of  those  he  had  stolen, 
271 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

lashed  him  by  the  feet  to  it  and  tied  his  hands 
behind  him.  And  so  he  was  driven  into  the 
cruel  captivity,  a  captivity  which  has  been 
spoken  of  as  being  as  singular  and  remark 
able  in  other  respects  as  any  in  the  whole 
history  of  Indian  warfare  upon  this  con 
tinent. 

"Kenton  refused  with  strange  infatuation 
to  adopt  proper  measures  for  his  safety  while 
he  might  have  done  so.  With  strange  ob 
stinacy  he  remained  on  the  Ohio  shore  until 
flight  became  useless.  He  was  often  at  one 
hour  tantalized  with  a  prospect  of  safety  and 
the  next  plunged  into  the  deepest  despair. 
Eight  times  he  had  to  run  the  gauntlet,  three 
times  he  was  tied  to  a  stake  and  thought  him 
self  about  to  suffer  a  terrible  death.  Any 
sentence  passed  upon  him  by  one  council, 
whether  to  give  him  mercy  or  death,  would 
presently  be  reversed  by  another.  Whenever 
Providence  raised  up  a  friend  in  his  favor, 
some  enemy  immediately  followed,  unex 
pectedly  interposed  and  turned  his  glimpse 
272 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

of  sunshine  into  deeper  darkness  than  ever. 
For  three  weeks  he  was  in  that  manner  see 
sawing  between  life  and  death." 

"And  did  they  kill  him  at  last,  papa  ?"  asked 
Ned. 

"No,"  replied  the  captain.  "An  Indian 
agent  of  the  name  of  Drewyer,  who  was 
anxious  to  gain  intelligence  for  the  British 
commander  at  Detroit  in  regard  to  the  strength 
and  condition  of  the  settlements  in  Kentucky, 
got  Kenton  free  from  the  Indians  just  as  for 
the  fourth  time  they  were  about  to  bind  him 
to  a  stake  and  burn  him.  He  (Drewyer)  did 
not  get  anything  of  importance  out  of  Kenton, 
who  was  three  weeks  later  sent  a  prisoner  to 
Detroit,  from  which  place  he  made  his 
escape  in  about  eight  months;  then  he  went 
back  to  Kentucky.  He  was  very  brave,  a 
valuable  scout,  a  hardy  woodsman,  a  good 
Indian  fighter.  He  performed  many  daring 
feats  as  the  friend  and  companion  of  Daniel 
Boone,  once  saving  his  life  in  a  conflict  with 
the  Indians." 

273 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Had  not  Logan  something  to  do  with  Ken- 
ton's  rescue  by  that  Canadian  trader 
Drewyer?"  asked  Harold,  who  had  been 
listening  with  interest  to  the  captain's  story. 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply;  "Logan,  the  Mingo 
chief.  At  Detroit  Kenton  was  held  as  a 
prisoner  of  war,  and  there  he  worked  for  the 
garrison  at  half  pay,  till  he  was  aided  by  a 
trader's  wife  to  escape.  That  was  in  July, 
1779.  He  commanded  a  battalion  of  Ken 
tucky  volunteers  as  major  under  General 
Anthony  Wayne  in  1793-94,  became  brig 
adier-general  of  Ohio  militia  in  1805,  and 
fought  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames  in  1813." 

"I  hope  his  country  rewarded  his  great 
services  as  it  ought,"  remarked  Grace  in  tones 
of  inquiry. 

"Ah!"  replied  her  father,  "I  am  sorry  to 
say  that  in  his  old  age  he  was  reduced  to 
poverty,  the  immense  tracts  of  land  which 
he  possessed  being  lost  through  the  invasion 
of  settlers  and  his  ignorance  of  law. 

"In  1824  he  went  to  Frankfort  to  petition 
274 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

the  legislature  of  Kentucky  to  release  the 
claim  of  the  State  upon  some  mountain  land 
owned  by  him.  He  was  in  tattered  garments, 
and  his  appearance  excited  ridicule,  but  on 
being  recognized  by  General  Thomas 
Fletcher,  he  was  taken  to  the  capitol,  seated 
in  the  speaker's  chair,  and  introduced  to  a 
large  assembly  as  the  second  great  adventurer 
of  the  West.  His  lands  were  released  and 
a  pension  of  $240  was  procured  for  him  from 
Congress. 

"He  died  near  the  spot  where,  fifty-eight 
years  before,  he  had  escaped  death  at  the 
hands  of  the  Indians.  Kenton  County,  Ken 
tucky,  was  named  in  his  honor. 

"Now  let  me  read  you  a  passage  from  a  book 
I  was  examining  the  other  day,  in  which  there 
is  an  interesting  account  of  Kenton's  appear 
ance  and  manner  in  his  old  age,"  said  the 
captain.  "It  is  in  the  library,  and  I  shall 
be  back  with  it  in  a  moment." 

Several  of  the  younger  ones  in  the  little 

company  at  once  offered  to  do  the  errand 

275 


"EL'SIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

for  him,  but  thanking  them,  and  saying  that 
he  could  find  it  more  readily  than  they,  he 
went  in,  and  soon  returned  with  the  book 
in  his  hand.  Then  he  read  aloud,  "  'Kenton's 
form,  even  under  the  weight  of  seventy-nine 
years,  is  striking,  and  must  have  been  a 
model  of  manly  strength  and  agility.  His 
eye  is  blue,  mild  and  yet  penetrating  in  its 
glance.  The  forehead  projects  very  much 
at  the  eyebrows,  which  are  well  defined,  and 
then  recedes,  and  is  neither  very  high  nor 
very  broad.  His  hair,  which  in  active  life 
was  light,  is  now  quite  gray;  his  nose  is 
straight,  and  his  mouth  before  he  lost  hia 
teeth  must  have  been  expressive  and  hand 
some.  I  observed  that  he  had  yet  one  tooth, 
which,  in  connection  with  his  character  and 
manner  of  conversation,  was  continually  re 
minding  me  of  Leatherstocking.  The  whole 
face  is  remarkably  expressive,  not  of  turbu 
lence  or  excitement,  but  rather  of  rumination 
and  self-possession.  Simplicity,  frankness, 
honesty  and  strict  regard  to  truth  appeared 
276 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

to  be  the  prominent  traits  of  his  character. 
In  giving  an  answer  to  a  question  which  my 
friend  asked  him,  I  was  particularly  struck 
with  his  truthfulness  and  simplicity.  The 
question  was,  whether  the  account  of  his  life, 
given  in  the  "Sketches  of  Western  Adven 
ture"  was  true  or  not.  "Well,  I'll  tell  you,1" 
said  he,  "not  true.  The  book  says  that  when 
Blackfish,  the  Injun  warrior,  asked  me,  when 
they  had  taken  me  prisoner,  if  Colonel  Boone 
sent  me  to  steal  their  horses,  I  said  'JSTo,  sir.' 
Here  he  looked  indignant  and  rose  from  his 
chair.  "I  tell  you  I  never  said  'sir'  to  an 
Injun  in  my  life ;  I  scarcely  ever  say  it  to  a 
white  man."  Here  Mrs.  Kenton,  who  was 
engaged  in  some  domestic  occupation  at  the 
table,  turned  round  and  remarked  that  when 
they  were  last  in  Kentucky  some  one  gave 
her  the  book  to  read  to  her  husband,  and  that 
when  she  came  to  that  part  he  would  not  let 
her  read  any  further.  "And  I. tell  you,"  con 
tinued  he,  "I  was  never  tied  to  a  stake  in  my 
life  to  be  burned.  They  had  me  painted  black 
277 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

when  I  saw  Girty,  but  not  tied  to  a  stake." 
We  are  inclined  to  think,  notwithstanding 
this,  that  the  statement  in  the  Sketches  of 
his  being  three  times  tied  to  the  stake  is  cor 
rect,  for  the  author  of  that  interesting  work 
had'  before  him  a  manuscript  account  of  the 
pioneer's  life,  which  had  been  dictated  by  Mr. 
Kenton  to  a  gentleman  of  Kentucky  a  num 
ber  of  years  before,  when  he  had  no  motive 
to  exaggerate  and  his  memory  was  compara 
tively  unimpaired.  But  he  is  now  beyond  the 
reach  of  earthly  toil,  or  trouble,  or  suffering. 
His  old  age  was  as  exemplary  as  his  youth 
and  manhood  had  been  active  and  useful. 
And  though  his  last  years  were  clouded  by 
poverty,  and  his  eyes  closed  in  a  miserable 
cabin  to  the  light  of  life,  yet  shall  be  occupy 
a  bright  page  in  our  border  history  and  his 
name  soon  open  to  the  light  of  fame.'  " 

A  slight  pause  followed  the  conclusion  of 

the  captain's  reading  of  the  sketch  of  the  life 

of  Kenton,  then  Grace  said  earnestly,  "ThanK 

you,  father,  for  giving  us  so  extended  an  ac- 

278 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

count  of  Kenton's  life  and  services  to  our 
country.  He  deserved  the  kindly  and  grate 
ful  remembrance  of  his  countrymen." 
"So  I  think,"  said  Harold,  "and  that  he  will 
lever  be  forgotten.  Poor  fellow !  I  am  sorry 
indeed  that  he  was  robbed  of  his  lands,  and 
so  spent  his  old  age  and  died  in  poverty." 


279 


CHAPTEE  XXI 

THE  next  day  was  the  Sabbath,  the  first  since 
the  return  of  our  friends  from  Viamede. 
They  attended,  as  usual,  the  morning  ser 
vices  of  the  sanctuary,  and  in  the  afternoon 
gathered  upon  the  veranda  at  Woodburn  for 
the  private,  conversational  study  of  some 
scriptural  theme. 

"What  is  to  be  our  lesson  for  to-day,  cap 
tain?"  queried  Mr.  Lilburn  when  they  had 
seated  themselves,  each  with  Bible  in  hand. 

"I  have  thought  of  the  sacrificial  shedding 
of  blood,"  was  the  reply.  "Here  in  Hebrews 
9  :  22,  'And  almost  all  things  are  by  the  law 
purged  with  blood ;  and  without  shedding  of 
blood  is  no  remission.'  The  blood  of  sacri 
fices  was  typical  of  the  atoning  blood  of 
Christ.  Paul  tells  us,  'Neither  by  the  blood 
of  goats  and  calves,  but  by  His  own  blood  He 
entered  in  once  into  the  holy  place,  having 
280 


EL8IE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

obtained  eternal  redemption  for  us.  ... 
So  Christ  was  once  offered  to  bear  the  sins 
of  many.'  Now  let  us  read  in  turn  texts 
bearing  upon  this  great  subject.  Violet,  my 
dear,  will  you  begin  ?" 

"Yes,"  she  replied.  "Matthew,  Mark  and 
Luke  each  tell  us  of  Jesus'  words  in  giving 
His  disciples  the  cup  of  wine  at  His  last  sup 
per  on  earth;  He  said  to  them,  'This  is  my 
blood  of  the  new  testament,  which  is  shed 
for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins.' ' 

It  was  now  Harold's  turn,  and  he  read: 
"  'Then  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the 
Son  of  man,  and  drink  His  blood,  ye  have 
no  life  in  you.  Whoso  eateth  my  flesh,  and 
drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life;  and  I 
will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  For  my 
flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink 
indeed.  He  that  eateth  my  flesh,  and  drink 
eth  my  blood,  dwelleth  in  me,  and  I  in  him.' ' 

It  was  now  Grace's  turn,   and  she  read: 

"  'Take  heed,  therefore,  unto  yourselves,  and 

281 


'ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKE'S 

to  all  the  flock,  over  the  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
hath  made  ye  overseers  to  feed  the  church 
of  God,  which  He  hath  purchased  with  His 
own  blood/ ' 

Then  Elsie  read:  "  'Whom  God  hath  set 
forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith  in  His 
blood,  to  declare  His  righteousness  for  the 
remission  of  sins  that  are  past  through  the 
forbearance  of  God.' ' 

Then  ISTed :  "  'Much  more,  then,  being  now 
justified  by  His  blood,  we  shall  be  saved  from 
wrath  through  Him.' ' 

Grandma  Elsie,  sitting  next,  now  read  from 
Ephesians :  "  'But  now  in  Christ  Jesus  ye 
who  sometimes  were  far  off  are  made  nigh  by 
the  blood  of  Christ.  ...  In  whom  we  have 
redemption  through  His  blood,  the  forgive 
ness  of  sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  His 
grace.' " 

Then  Lucilla :  "  'Neither  by  the  blood  of 

goats  and  calves,  but  by  His  blood  He  entered 

in  once  into  the  holy  place,  having  obtained 

eternal  redemption  for  us.    For  if  the  blood 

282 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

of  bulls  and  of  goats,  and  the  ashes  of  an 
heifer  sprinkling  the  unclean,  sanctifieth  to 
the  purifying  of  the  flesh,  how  much  more 
shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who  through  the 
eternal  Spirit  offered  Himself  without  spot  to 
God,  purge  your  conscience  from  dead  works 
to  serve  the  living  God  ?' ' 

Then  Chester  read :  "  'Having,  therefore, 
brethren,  boldness  to  enter  into  the  holiest  by 
the  blood  of  J  esus,  by  a  new  and  living  way, 
which  He  hath  consecrated  for  us,  through 
the  veil,  that  is  to  say  His  flesh,  of  how  much 
sorer  punishment,  suppose  ye,  shall  he  be 
thought  worthy  who  hath  trodden  under  foot 
the  Son  of  God  and  hath  counted  the  blood 
of  the  covenant,  wherewith  He  was  sanctified, 
an  unholy  thing,  and  hath  done  despite  unto 
the  Spirit  of  Grace  ?'  " 

Evelyn,  sitting  next,  then  read :  "  'Unto 
Him  that  loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our 
sins  in  His  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us 
kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  His  Father; 
to  Him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and 
ever.' "  283 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Then  Mrs.  Annis  Lilburn,  sitting  next,  read : 
"  'And  they  sung  a  new  song,  saying,  Thou 
art  worthy  to  take  the  book  and  to  open  the 
seals  thereof;  for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast 
redeemed  us  to  God  by  Thy  blood  out  of 
every  kindred  and  tongue  and  people  and 
nation.' ' 

Walter  sat  next,  and  he  read :  "  'These  are 
they  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and 
have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.' ' 

Then  Mr.  Lilburn,  next  and  last,  read: 
"  'And  they  overcame  him  by  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their  testimony.' 
The  one  there  spoken  of  as  overcome  is,  as 
doubtless  you  all  know,  Satan,  spoken  of  in 
this  chapter  of  Revelation  as  the  accuser  of 
our  brethren,  accusing  them  before  God  day 
and  night;  but  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  of 
God,  and  only  by  that,  could  they  or  any  one 
overcome  him." 

"  'Who  His  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  His 

own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we,  being  dead  to 

284 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

sins,  should  live  unto  righteousness :  by  whose 
stripes  ye  were  healed/  "  quoted  Grandma 
Elsie  in  low,  moved  tones.  "Oh,  how  can  we 
help  loving  Him  with  all  our  hearts  and  serv 
ing  Him  with  all  our  powers  ?" 

"  'For  Christ  also  hath  once  suffered  for 
sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  He  might 
bring  us  to  God,  being  put  to  death  in  the 
flesh,  but  quickened  by  the  Spirit,'  "  quoted 
the  captain,  then  added :  "  'The  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  His  son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin.' ' 

Lucilla  followed :  "  'Herein  is  love,  not  that 
we  loved  God,  but  that  He  loved  us,  and  sent 
His  son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins.' '; 

Evelyn  followed :  "  'Ye  know  that  He  was 
manifested  to  take  away  our  sins ;  and  in  Him 
is  no  sin.  .  .  .  He  is  the  propitiation  for 
our  sins ;  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also  for 
the  sins  of  the  whole  world.' ' 

"  'And  we  have  seen  and  do  testify  that  the 
Father  sent  the  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  the 
world.  Whosoever  shall  confess  that  Jesus 
ie  the  Son  of  God,  God  dwelleth  in  him  and 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

he  in  God,'  "  quoted  Violet  with  feeling,  then 
she  started  a  hymn,  in  which  all  joined  with 
fervor : 

"Come,  let  us  sing  of  Jesus, 

While  hearts  and  accents  blend;; 
Come,  let  us  sing  of  Jesus, 

The  sinner's  only  Friend; 
His  holy   soul    rejoices, 

Amid  the  choirs  above, 
To  hear  our  youthful  voices 

Exulting  in  His  love. 

"We  love  to  sing  of  Jesus, 

Who  wept  our  path  along;' 
We  love  to  sing  of  Jesus, 

The  tempted  and  the  strong; 
None  who  besought  His  healing 

He  passed  unheeded  by, 
And  still  retains  His  feeling 

For  us  above  the  sky. 

"We  love  to  sing  of  Jesus, 

Who  died  our  souls  to  savef 
We  love  to  sing  of  Jesus, 

Triumphant  o'er  the  grave  f 
And  in  our  hour  of  danger 

We'll  trust  His  love  alone 
Wn«  once  slept  in  a  manger, 

And  now  sits  on  the  thronfc 

286 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"Then  let  us  sing  of  Jesus 

While  yet  on  earth  we  stay, 
And  hope  to  sing  of  Jesus 

Throughout  eternal  day; 
For  those  who  here  confess  Him 

He  will  in  heaven  confess, 
And  faithful  hearts  that  bless  Him 

He  will  forever  bless." 

That  hymn  finished,  Grandma  Elsie  started 
another  beautiful  one,  in  which  all  joined: 

"I  love  to  tell  the  story 

Of  unseen  things  above, 
Of  Jesus  and  His  glory, 

Of  Jesus  and  His  love. 
I  love  to  tell  the  story, 

Because  I  knew  it's  true; 
It  satisfies  my  longings 

As  nothing  else  can  do. 

CHORUS : 
"I  love  to  tell  the  story, 

'Twill  be  my  theme  in  glory, 
To  tell  the  old,  old  story, 
Of  Jesus  and  His  love. 

"I  love  to  tell  the  story; 

More  wonderful  it  seems 
Than  all  the  golden  fancies 
Of  all  our  golden  dreams. 

287 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

I  love  to  tell  the  story, 

It  did  so  much  for  me; 
And  that  is  just  the  reason 

I  tell  it  now  to  thee. 

**I  love  to  tell  the  story; 

'Tis  pleasant  to  repeat 
What  seems,  each  time  I  tell  it, 

More  wonderfully  sweet. 
I  love  to  tell  the  story, 

For  some  have  never  heard 
The  message  of  salvation 

From  God's  own  holy  word. 

"I  love  to  tell  the  story; 

For  those  who  know  it  best 
Seem  hungering  and  thirsting 

To  hear  it  like  the  rest. 
And  when,  in  scenes  of  glory, 

I  sing  the  new,  new  song, 
Twill  be  the  old,  old  story 

That  I  have  loved  so  long.'* 

Several  prayers  followed  the  singing  of  the 
hymns,  and  then  the  meeting  closed  with  the 
singing  of  the  Doxology,  in  which  all,  old  and 
young,  took  part. 


288 


CHAPTEK  XXII 

THAT  week,  the  first  after  the  return  of  the 
Dolphin,  bringing  the  last  instalment  of 
visitors  to  Viamede,  was  filled  with  family 
parties,  given  in  the  daytime  for  the  sake  of 
the  little  ones,  who  in  each  case  were  quite  as 
welcome  guests  as  the  older  folk.  But  the 
weather  was  growing  warm,  and  the  doctors 
advised  a  speedy  flitting  northward. 

"To  go  speedily  will  be  best  for  you  all, 
especially  my  Grace,  Ked  and  the  little  ones, 
Mary  and  Ray,"  said  Dr.  Harold,  addressing 
the  usual  family  party  gathered  for  the  even 
ing  upon  the  veranda  at  Woodburn. 

"So  I  think,"  said  the  captain;  "and  as  on 
like  occasions  in  the  past,  the  Dolphin  is  at 
the  service  of  you  all;  can  be  made  fully 
ready  in  a  day." 

"And  Crag  Cottage  will  be  ready  and  glad 
289 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

to  accommodate  you  all  as  soon  as  the  Dolphin 
can  carry  you  there,"  added  Evelyn  in  pleas 
ant,  playful  tones. 

"Oh,  thank  you,  Eva,"  cried  several  voices, 
Lucilla  adding:  "There  is  no  place  I  should 
prefer  to  that."  Then  turning  to  her 
husband,  "You  can  go  too,  can't  you, 
Chester?" 

"Perhaps  for  a  brief  sojourn ;  then  leave  my 
wife  and  son  there  for  a  longer  time,  going 
for  them  when  fall  weather  shall  have  made 
it  safe  for  them  to  come  home  again,"  he 
replied  in  cheerful  tones.  Then  turning  to 
Dr.  Harold:  "I  hope,"  he  added,  "that  you 
are  intending  to  spend  the  summer  there, 
keeping  guard  over  our  family  treasures  com 
mitted  to  your  care?" 

"I  have  planned  doing  so,  provided  Cousin 
Arthur  and  my  brother  Herbert  will  under 
take  the  care  of  all  our  patients  in  this  neigh 
borhood,  of  which  I  have  no  doubt,"  was  the 
ready  reply.  "Then  I  must  take  charge  in 
the  fall,  giving  them  a  vacation  in  their  turn." 
290 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

"Yes,  I  am  very  sure  you  will  do  right  and 
generously  by  them/'  remarked  Grace,  giving 
him  a  look  of  love  and  confidence. 

"Oh,  I  am  glad  to  think  of  being  on  our 
good  Dolphin  again  and  then  at  dear,  sweet 
Crag  Cottage,"  cried  !N~ed,  clapping  his  hands 
in  delight.  "Oh,  papa,  can't  we  have  a 
voyage  out  in  the  ocean,  too?" 

"Perhaps  so,"  said  his  father.  "I  see  noth 
ing  to  prevent,  if  all  my  passengers  desire  it. 
However,  we  can  decide  that  question  after 
going  aboard  the  yacht." 

"Yes,  and  I  feel  pretty  sure  we  will  all  be 
in  favor  of  a  little  trip  far  enough  toward 
the  east  side  of  the  ocean  to  be  at  least  for  a 
few  hours  out  of  sight  of  land  on  this  side," 
laughed  Lucilla. 

"And  how  soon  shall  we  start?"  asked 
Chester. 

"The  yacht  can  be  ready  by  the  day  after  to 
morrow,"  said  the  captain;  "and  if  all  the 
passengers  are  ready,  we  will  start  in  the 
evening  of  that  day." 
291 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Violet,  Evelyn  and  Lucilla  all  replied  at 
once  that  they  could  be  ready  almost  at  a 
moment's  notice,  having  for  weeks  past  been 
looking  forward  to  this  flitting  and  preparing 
for  it. 

"And,  father,"  added  Evelyn,  "I  should  like 
to  have  Cousins  Ronald  and  Annis  Lilburn 
as  my  guests  for  the  summer.  Can  you  not 
invite  them  now  through  the  'phone,  and  ask 
how  soon  they  can  be  ready,  if  willing  to  go  ?" 

"I  can,"  he  replied  in  a  pleased  tone,  and 
went  at  once  to  the  instrument. 

Their  answer  was  that  they  would  be  de 
lighted  to  go,  and  would  be  ready  by  the  time 
mentioned  for  the  starting  of  the  vessel. 

Captain  Raymond  then  'phoned  to  Ion,  told 
of  the  proposed  starting  of  the  Dolphin  for  a 
northern  trip,  to  end  finally  at  Crag  Cottage 
on  the  Hudson,  and  gave  a  warm  invitation 
from  Evelyn  to  Grandma  Elsie  and  Walter 
to  join  the  party  and  be  her  guests  for  the 
summer,  if  they  should  care  to  stay  so  long. 

A  gratified  acceptance,  with  an  assurance 

292 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

that  they  would  be  ready  in  season,  came 
in  reply,  and  all  the  Woodburn  company  were 
jubilant  over  the  prospect  of  the  pleasant  trip 
and  the  enjoyable  summer  at  Crag  Cottage 
likely  to  follow. 

Captain  Raymond  kept  his  promise  to  have 
the  Dolphin  ready  in  good  season,  and  all  the 
passengers  were  aboard  when  the  anchor  was 
lifted  early  in  the  evening  of  the  appointed 
day.  The  weather  was  fine,  and  they  found 
the  deck  a  delightful  place  for  promenading 
or  sitting  at  ease  on  the  comfortable  seats  pro 
vided.  There  was  much  cheerful  chat,  some 
times  mirthful,  sometimes  serious ;  there  were 
jests  and  badinage,  fun  and  frolic,  especially 
among  the  children,  with  Cousin  Ronald  to 
help  it  on,  and  there  was  music — first  songs, 
afterward  hymns  of  praise,  repetitions  of 
passages  of  Scripture  and  prayers  of  thank 
fulness  and  petitions  for  God's  protecting 
care.  Then  the  little  ones  were  sent  to  their 
nests  for  the  night,  and  somewhat  later  the 
older  ones  retired  to  theirs. 

293 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

Lucilla's  idea  of  an  eastward  trip  till  out 
of  sight  of  land  was  carried  out  to  her  satis 
faction  and  amusement,  then  the  Dolphin 
turned,  passed  through  Long  Island  Sound 
and  up  the  Hudson  River  to  Crag  Cottage, 
which  they  reached  in  safety  and  all  in  good 
health. 

There,  as  always  before,  they  had  a  pleasant, 
restful  time,  often  enlivened  by  the  fun 
Cousin  Ronald's  talent  could  make,  and  after 
a  while  varied  by  trips  here  and  there  in  the 
yacht.  Chester  spent  a  few  days  there,  then 
returned  home  with  the  understanding  that 
he  would  probably  be  with  them  again  before 
the  season  was  over.  He  was  missed,  but 
with  Mr.  Lilburn,  Captain  Raymond, 
Dr.  Harold  and  Walter  Travilla  still  left, 
the  ladies  and  children  were  not  without 
protectors  and  helpers  of  the  stronger 
sex. 

And  in  a  few  days  a  glad  surprise  was  given 
them  all,  Evelyn  in  especial,  by  the  unex 
pected  arrival  of  Max.  He  had  obtained  a 
294 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

furlough  and  could  be  with  them  for  some 
weeks. 

"Now  I  think  with  two  ventriloquists  here 
we  shall  have  some  fun,"  exclaimed  Ned 
shortly  after  his  brother's  arrival. 

"Ah,  Ned,  Ned,  is  that  all  you  care  about 
in  seeing  your  only  brother?"  queried  Max 
in  tones  of  heartfelt  disappointment  and  an 
expression  of  deep  despondency. 

"Oh,  no,  no,  indeed !"  cried  Ned.  "I'm  ever 
so  glad  to  have  you  here,  Maxie,  if  you  never 
do  any  ventriloquism  at  all.  Please  believe 
me." 

"Well,  I  suppose  I  must,  since  I  know  you 
have  been  trained  up  to  speak  the  truth,"  re 
turned  Max,  brightening  a  little,  "and  I  hope 
the  company  of  your  only  brother  may  afford 
you  some  slight  enjoyment,  even  should  there 
be  no  practice  of  ventriloquism." 

"Yes,  brother,  you  may  be  sure  of  it,"  re 
plied  Ned,  striving  to  suppress  a  slight  sigh. 

"And  your  brother  must  be  allowed  a  good, 

enjoyable  time  with  his  wife,  little  daughter 

295 


JSLSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

and  new  little  nephew  before  we  trouble  him 
to  attend  to  anything  else,"  remarked  Violet 
in  an  amused  tone. 

"And  in  the  meantime  the  rest  of  us  can, 
perhaps,  be  depended  upon  to  entertain  your 
young  laddie,  Cousin  Violet,"  said  Mr.  Lil- 
burn,  with  a  kindly,  amused  look  at  Ned. 

"I  see  that,  as  usual,  you  have  the  Dolphin 
lying  here  at  your  dock,  father,"  said  Max, 
"and  I  suppose  that  you  all  take  occasional 
trips  in  her." 

"Yes,  son,  and  I  think  you  will  not  object 
to  accompanying  us  in  that,  will  you  ?" 

"Oh,  no,  sir ;  no,  indeed ;  I  shall  be  very  glad 
to  do  so,  as  babies  and  all  can  be  made  as 
comfortable  there  as  anywhere  on  land." 

"By  the  way,"  said  Dr.  Harold,  "a  lady 
patient  was  telling  me  the  other  day  of  a  visit 
she  had  paid  to  the  village  of  Catskill,  inter 
ested  in  it  because  of  having  seen  Joseph 
Jefferson  playing  'Rip  Van  Winkle,'  and  that 
has  given  me  a  desire  to  see  the  place." 

"So  you  shall,"  said  the  captain;  "the 
296 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Dolphin  can  readily  be  persuaded  to  make 
that  trip,  and  I  presume  none  of  our  party 
would  object  to  going  there  in  her." 

He  sent  a  smiling  glance  around  as  he  spoke, 
and  it  was  responded  to  by  smiles  and  ex 
clamations  of  pleasure  in  the  prospect. 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  Rip  Van 
Winkle,"  said  Elsie,  turning  toward  her 
father.  "Is  it  a  story,  papa,  and  will  you  tell 
me  about  it  ?" 

"Yes,  daughter,"  he  replied;  "it  is  a  story 
and  only  a  story ;  not  fact  at  all,  but  seeming 
so  real  as  played  by  Jefferson  that  very  many 
people  were  and  are  greatly  interested  in  it. 
Rip  Van  Winkle  is  represented  as  an  igno 
rant,  good-natured  man,  made  and  kept  poor 
by  love  of  liquor,  which  so  soured  his  wife 
against  him  that  she  drove  him  out  of  the 
house.  Once  it  was  at  night  and  in  a  terrible 
thunder  storm.  He  goes  into  a  steep  and 
rocky  clove  in  the  Kaatskill  Mountains,  and 
meets  with  some  queer,  silent  people,  who 
give  him  drinks  of  liquor  that  put  him  to 
297 


sleep,  and  he  does  not  wake  again  for  twenty 
years,  and  in  that  time  he  had  changed  from 
a  comparatively  young  man  to  a  feeble,  old 
one  with  white  hair  and  a  long  white  beard. 
In  the  meantime  his  wife,  thinking  him  dead, 
had  married  the  man — Derrick  by  name — 
who  had  stolen  his  house  and  land.  She  had 
done  it  in  order  to  keep  herself  and  little 
daughter  from  starvation,  and  he  was  now  try 
ing  to  force  little  Meenie,  Rip's  daughter,  to 
marry  his  nephew,  Cookies,  though  she  did 
not  want  him,  as  she  loved  another,  young 
Hendrick,  who  was  her  playmate  when  they 
were  children,  but  is  now  a  sailor  and  away 
on  his  vessel — has  been  gone  five  years — but 
now  he  comes  back  just  in  time  to  put  a  stop 
to  the  mischief  Derrick  and  his  nephew, 
Cookies,  are  trying  to  do  to  Meenie  and 
Gretchen  in  order  to  get  full  possession  of  the 
house  and  land.  He  and  Rip  are  able  to 
prove  that  those,  the  house  and  land,  are  not 
his  and  never  were. 

"So  the  story  ends  well ;  the  scamps  are  &&• 
298 


feated,  and  the  rightful  owners  are  happy 
in  regaining  the  property  and  being  restored 
to  each  otherr"  concluded  the  captain. 

"Thank  you,  papa,"  said  Elsie;  "it  was  a 
nice  story,  because  it  ended  well." 

"And  wouldn't  you  like  to  see  the  place 
where  all  that  is  said  to  have  happened?" 
asked  Dr.  Harold. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  she  answered;  and  after  a 
little  more  chat  on  the  subject,  it  was  decided 
that  they  would  visit  the  village  of  Catskill 
the  next  day  and  see  the  very  spot  where  all 
these  strange  events  were  supposed  to  have 
taken  place. 

"The  scenery  about  there  is  said  to  be  very 
fine,  is  it  not  ?"  asked  Mr.  Lilburn. 

"It  is,"  replied  Captain  Raymond;  "and  I 
think  we  who  are  strong  enough  to  climb  steep 
ascents  will  be  well  repaid  for  the  effort.  Our 
best  plan  will  be  to  leave  the  yacht  for  a 
hotel,  as  in  order  to  see  all  that  is  worth  seeing 
we  must  spend  some  days  in  the  vicinity." 

"Yes,"  said  Dr.  Harold;  "and  the  ladies 
299 


ELSIE   AND    HER   NAMESAKES 

and  babies  and  our  not  very  strong 
little  Ned  will  need  to  stay  in  the  vil 
lage  while  we  stronger  ones  climb  about  the 
cliffs." 

"I  think  you  are  right  in  that,"  assented  his 
mother.  "By  the  way,"  she  continued,  "do 
you  think,  gentlemen,  that  it  was  quite  cor 
rect  for  the  author  of  the  play  to  bring  in 
Hudson  and  some  of  his  men  as  taking  part 
in  causing  Kip's  long  nap?  From  the  ac 
counts  given  of  his  life  and  death,  it  would 
seem  that  he  was  set  adrift  by  his  sailors  con 
siderably  more  to  the  north,  and  perished  in 
the  sea." 

"That  is  so,  mother,"  returned  the  captain ; 
"but  it  is  about  as  true  as  the  story  of  Rip's 
long  nap." 

"And  that  couldn't  be  true,"  remarked  Elsie 
wisely,  "for  nobody  could  live  half  as  long  as 
that  without  eating  anything,  could  they, 
Uncle  Harold?" 

"No,    certainly    not,"    replied    her    uncle, 

smiling  at  the  very  idea.    "No  one  but  a  very 

300 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

ignorant  person  could  be  made  to  believe  the 
story  true." 

"Still,  we  can  enjoy  looking  at  the  scenes  of 
the  supposed  occurrences,"  remarked  Cap 
tain  Raymond.  "Shall  we  go  to-morrow  ?" 

Every  one  seemed  in  favor  of  that  propo 
sition,  and  the  next  morning,  the  weather 
being  favorable  and  the  yacht  in  excellent 
condition,  they  started  upon  their  trip  shortly 
after  breakfast. 

Comfortable  accommodations  were  found  in 
the  hotel  at  Catskill,  and  the  ladies  seemed 
well  satisfied  with  what  they  could  see  and 
enjoy  in  going  about  the  valley  while  the 
stronger  members  of  the  party  should  climb 
the  steep  cliffs  and  explore  all  the  places  where 
Rip  was  said  to  have  wandered,  and  espe 
cially  the  spot  where  his  very  long  sleep  was 
supposed  to  have  been  taken. 

The  beautiful  scenery  of  that  region  was 

greatly  enjoyed  by  all,  male  and  female,  old 

and  young,  so  all  agreed  in  prolonging  their 

visit  to  the  stay  of  several  days.    Then,  they 

301 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

boarded  the  yacht  and  started  for  their  Crag 
Cottage  home  again. 

Max  was  very  fond  of  his  baby  daughter, 
and  when  they  were  all  comfortably  estab 
lished  aboard  the  yacht  he  took  her  in  his 
arms  to  pet  and  fondle  her ;  but  as  he  did  so 
he  was  startled  for  an  instant  by  a  joyous 
exclamation  that  seemed  to  come  from  her 
lips,  "Oh,  papa,  I  love  you,  and  am  so  glad 
you  are  here  with  mamma  and  me  again." 
But  glancing  at  Cousin  Ronald,  Max  laughed 
and  replied:  "Are  you,  daughter?  Well,  I 
hope  the  time  will  never  come  when  you  will 
be  other  than  very  glad  to  see  your  father." 

"Ah,  that's  the  first  talking  she  has  done  in 
quite  a  while,"  laughed  her  mother. 

"Oh,  was  it  you  who  made  her  do  it,  Brother 
Max  ?"  asked  Ned  excitedly. 

"No,"  replied  Max;  "I  was  as  much  sur 
prised  at  the  moment  as  anybody  else.  But 
isn't  it  natural  that  the  joy  of  seeing  her  long 
absent  father  should  loosen  her  tongue  ?" 

''I  guess  it  is  more  natural  that  Cousin 
302 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Konald  should  do  it,"  laughed  Ned.  "He 
could,  I  know,  and  I  suspect  that  he  did." 

"Do  you  plead  guilty,  Cousin  Ronald?" 
queried  Evelyn,  giving  him  a  look  of  amuse 
ment. 

"Well,  now,  you  should  not  be  too  curi 
ous,  Cousin  Eva,"  was  the  non-committal 
reply. 

"Is  she  too  curious?"  asked  Ned.  "Don't 
you  think,  Cousin  Ronald,  that  it's  all  right 
for  her  to  want  to  know  what  has  made  little 
Mary  talk  so  well  to-night?" 

"Of  course  it  is,"  little  Mary  seemed  to  say. 
"And  I  hope  to  talk  a  good  deal  while  my 
papa  is  with  us." 

"Yes,  I  hope  you  will,"  said  Ned.  "I  think 
he'll  help  you  about  it.  Don't  you  wish  you'd 
been  climbing  those  mountains  along  with 
him?" 

"No,  TJncle  Ned;  it  was  nicer  to  be  with 
mamma  in  the  village." 

Ned  laughed  at  that,  and  turning  to  the 
other  baby,  asked:  "How  was  it  with  you, 
303 


ELSIE    AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

Ray  ?    Didn't  you  want  to  go  along  with  the 
big  folks?" 

"No;  you  ain't  one  of  the  big  folks,  are 
you  ?"  Ray  seemed  to  reply ;  and  Ned  colored, 
as  there  was  a  general  laugh  from  those 
present. 

"A  good  deal  bigger  and  older  than  you  are," 
was  his  rather  ungracious  rejoinder. 

"Don't  be  vexed  with  my  baby  boy,  little 
brother,"  said  Lucilla;  "you  know  he  didn't 
say  that  of  himself.  Somebody  put  the  words 
into  his  mouth,  or,  to  speak  more  literally, 
caused  them  to  seem  to  come  from  his  tongue, 
though  he  does  not  know  how  to  talk  at  all." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  know,  and  I'm  not  vexed  with 
him  now,"  said  Ned.  "I  oughtn't  be,  as  I'm 
his  uncle  and  want  him  to  be  fond  of  me, 
as  I  hope  he  will  be  when  he's  old  enough  to 
know  about  such  things." 

"Yes,  Ned,  you  may  be  sure  he  will,"  said 
Max.  "You  and  I  are  going  to  try  to  be  such 
nice,  good  uncles  that  he  will  be  proud  to 
own  us  as  such." 

304 


ELSIE   AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

"And  I  shall  try  to  be  such  a  grandfather 
that  he  and  Baby  Mary  will  be  proud  to  own 
me  as  theirs,"  said  the  captain. 

"It  will  be  strange,  indeed,  if  they  are  not, 
father,"  said  Lucilla. 

"Yes,  indeed!  I  am  very  proud  of  being 
your  daughter,  papa,  as  I  think  the  others 
are,"  said  Grace;  "and  I  am  sure  Max  and 
K"ed  are  proud  of  being  your  sons." 

"Indeed  we  are,"  said  Max. 

"I  know  I  am,"  laughed  Ned.  "So  now 
I  guess  we  are  all  pleased  with  each  other 
and  are  going  home  to  Crag  Cottage  quite 
happy." 

Everybody  laughed  at  that,  and  all  reached 
their  temporary  home  in  excellent  spirits.  It 
was  a  lovely  and  enjoyable  one,  situated  on  a 
charming  part  of  the  Hudson  River's  western 
bank,  the  house  most  comfortable  and  con 
venient,  the  grounds  tastefully  laid  out  and 
kept  in  excellent  order.  Max  and  Eva  had 
reason  to  be  proud  and  fond  of  their  country 
seat.  They  and  most  of  their  guests  remained 
305 


ELSIE   'AND   HER   NAMESAKES 

there  for  some  weeks  until  Max's  furlough  ex 
pired  and  fall  weather  rendered  the  return 
to  their  warmer  Southern  homes  desirable. 
And  the  homeward  journey  in  the  Dolphin 
was  a  most  agreeable  winding  up  of  their 
summer  trip  to  the  North. 


THE  END 


30* 


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